TREASURY

Air Passenger Duty

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how much revenue is lost annually as a result of the exemption of transfer passengers from air passenger duty;
	(2)  how much revenue he expects air passenger duty to yield in the current and next year.

Nicky Morgan: The Treasury has not estimated the revenue yield from applying Air Passenger Duty to passengers that connect in the UK to a final destination.
	The Office of Budget Responsibility's current receipts forecast was published as Table B3 in the autumn statement 2013. The Air Passenger Duty forecast for 2013-14 is £3.1 billion and £3.2 billion in 2014-15. The table will be updated in the 2014 Budget report.

Annuities

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to ensure that pension providers that send out default annuity offers do so on a more competitive basis.

David Gauke: The Government is committed to making sure that the annuity market is working in the best interests of consumers and that consumers are empowered to exercise competitive pressures on the market so they can get the best rates possible.
	As a result of a joint working group set up by the Government in 2011, the Association of British Insurers (ABI)'s Code of Conduct on Retirement Choices, which came into effect in March 2013, now requires all-members to provide better information to consumers to help them shop around on the open market for the best annuity to meet their needs. A full copy of the Code of Conduct can be found on the ABI's website:
	https://www.abi.org.uk/Insurance-and-savings/Products/Pensions/Your-pension-in-retirement/Code-of-Conduct-on-Retirement-Choices
	The ABI has committed to assess the effectiveness of the code on consumer behaviour this year.
	In addition, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is conducting a thematic review of the annuities market. The review will address: the level of detriment to consumers from not shopping around; where such detriment is most likely to occur; and whether firms create barriers that restrict or inhibit consumers from shopping around.

Economic Situation: Northern Ireland

Naomi Long: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the implementation of the economic package announced for Northern Ireland in June 2013.

Danny Alexander: The Government and the Northern Ireland Executive are working closely together to implement the 'Building a Prosperous and United Community' package announced in June 2013. Most recently, the Commercial Secretary to the Treasury and the Northern Ireland Minister for Finance hosted an Infrastructure Investment Seminar at Titanic Belfast on 23 January this year. The next formal update on the package will be published in summer 2014.

Income Tax: Warrington

Helen Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people in (a) Warrington and (b) Warrington North constituency paid the top rate of tax in each of the last five years.

David Gauke: Data on the number of additional rate tax payers at parliamentary constituency levels are not published.
	Population projections at constituency level would not be reliable or statistically robust.

Procurement

Chris Evans: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of his Department's overall procurement spend for each of the last three financial years was spent (a) in joint procurement exercises with other Departments and (b) shared between different organisations within the same Department group.

Nicky Morgan: The information requested is not recorded separately and would require analysis of financial information from across HM Treasury Group; this could be done only at disproportionate cost.
	HM Treasury Group participates in Government-wide joint procurement exercises, which are led by the Crown Commercial Service (CCS—formally the Government Procurement Service, GPS). This work supports the development of frameworks and contracts for use by Government Departments relating to common goods and services.

Procurement

Chris Evans: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer for each of the last three financial years how much and what proportion of his Department's procurement was conducted using e-procurement tools; and what the value of such contracts was.

Nicky Morgan: The information requested is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	In July 2013 HM Treasury's procurement functions transferred to the Crown Commercial Service (CCS—formally the Government Procurement Service, GPS) who in return provide a managed procurement service. CCS use a range of e-Procurement tools. These include:
	An e-Sourcing suite—Used to run further competitions under framework agreements, to run procurements that must be published in the Official Journal of the European Union, and to undertake industry consultations and buyer surveys for early market engagement.
	Government e-Marketplace—Provides easy access to centralised deals via online catalogues (CCS's framework agreements and other Departments' contracts) and allows customers to place orders; provides an optional facility for complete transactional and integration functionality with e-Invoicing.
	Dynamic Marketplace—Used by customers to tender for non-complex and low-value procurements below the OJEU threshold.

Re-employment

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many staff who have been made redundant or retired from his Department have subsequently been re-employed by his Department since May 2010.

Nicky Morgan: No civil servants who have left receiving an exit package or retired from HM Treasury in the period requested have been re-employed by HM Treasury.

Scrap Metal Dealers Act 2013

Graham Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the effect of the provisions of the Scrap Metal Dealers Act 2012 on the amount of VAT collected from the metal recycling industry.

David Gauke: No estimate has been made.

Severn River Crossing

Jessica Morden: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much additional revenue has accrued to the Exchequer from Severn River Crossings plc to date as a result of (a) the phasing out of the industrial buildings allowance and (b) VAT payments since the introduction of VAT on tolls.

David Gauke: The information requested is not available due to statutory rules on taxpayer confidentiality.

Stamp Duties

John Stevenson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much revenue was raised from stamp duty for properties worth (a) up to £250,000, (b) between £250,000 and £500,000 and (c) over £500,000 in 2012-13.

David Gauke: Revenue from Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) is published by HMRC in National Statistics publications on the following webpage:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/statistics/stamp-duty.htm
	Revenue from the price brackets asked for in the question can be found in the following table or by following the link:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/statistics/stamp-duty/stamp-tax-sep13.xls
	and looking at sheet 7, rows 88-98.
	
		
			  Up to £250,000 Between £250,000 and £500,000 Over £500,000 
			 Yield attributable to residential and non residential land and property (£ million) 945 1,765 4,195

Stamp Duties

John Stevenson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much revenue was raised from stamp duty on (a) commercial and (b) residential properties in 2013.

David Gauke: Estimates of revenue raised from Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) for residential and non-residential properties, by Stamp Duty consideration band, have been published by HMRC as 'UK Stamp Tax Statistics 2012-13' (Table 3.1, previously known as table 15.3) and can be found at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/statistics/stamp-duty.htm
	Total SDLT receipts for 2013 can be found in the publication 'Tax and NICs receipts: statistics table' at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/statistics/receipts.htm#2
	It is not yet possible to provide an estimate of the amount raised separately for residential and non-residential properties for the whole of 2013. Estimates for 2013-14 are due to be released on 30 September 2014.

State Retirement Pensions

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the cost to the Exchequer of exempting the state pension from income tax.

Nicky Morgan: Exempting the state pension from income tax would cost around £6.7 billion in 2013-14.
	The estimate takes no account of possible behavioural impacts, which might be significant, and excludes any impact on benefit entitlement.
	Estimates are based on the 2010-11 Survey of Personal Incomes, projected to 2013-14 using economic assumptions consistent with the Office for Budget Responsibility's March 2013 economic and fiscal outlook.

Tax Evasion

Katy Clark: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much HM Revenue and Customs has spent on advertising on Facebook for the purposes of preventing tax evasion in the current financial year.

David Gauke: HM Revenue and Customs has not spent any money on advertising on Facebook as part of our advertising campaign to prevent tax evasion since April 2013.

TRANSPORT

Biofuels

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to ensure the continued availability of zero or low content biofuel at five per cent or below for use by owners of older motor vehicles; and if he will make a statement. [R]

Robert Goodwill: Decisions on whether to supply petrol with zero ethanol content are a commercial matter for individual fuel suppliers. The Motor Fuel (Composition and Content) Regulations 1999 set the maximum permissible ethanol content of petrol.
	Following consultation, the Motor Fuel (Composition and Content) (Amendment) Regulations 2013 came into force on 1 January to ensure that petrol with no more than 5% ethanol content remains available until the end of 2016.

Driving: Licensing

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Angus of 16 January 2014, Official Report, column 643W, on driving: licensing, what proportion of driving licences surrendered voluntarily following a health-related incident were restored within the 90 day target in each of the last five years.

Stephen Hammond: The information the hon. Member has requested is not readily available. I have asked officials at the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency to collate the required information and I will write to the hon. Member when it is available. I will place a copy of that letter in the Library of the House.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the schedule and costs were of (a) the original advertising campaign for the consultation on the High Speed 2 phase one environmental statement and (b) the advertising campaigns following the ruling of the Standing Orders Committee to extend the consultation period.

Robert Goodwill: In accordance with Standing Order 10 for the House of Commons, notices have to be published for two consecutive weeks following deposit of a hybrid Bill in newspapers circulating along the line of route, as well as the relevant Gazettes. Following deposit of the HS2 hybrid Bill, newspaper notices were placed in the newspapers listed as follows in each of the week’s commencing 25 November and 2 December, at a cost of £1,625,412.07. This approach follows established practice for other hybrid Bills.
	The House of Commons and House of Lords Standing Orders Committees decided to extend the consultation period and required a notice to be placed in the same newspapers. This was done on 24 January for The Times, and the week commencing 27 January for the other newspapers at a cost of £294,600.81.
	In addition, the consultation closing dates were advertised on the Department for Transport and HS2 Ltd websites. They were also covered on a range of news and campaign group websites. There was no cost associated with this advertising.
	Newspaper
	Banbury Guardian
	Bicester Advertise
	Birmingham Mail
	Buckingham & Winslow Advertise
	Bucks Advertiser
	Bucks Advertiser & Examiner
	Bucks Herald
	Camden New Journal
	Cannock Chase Chronicle
	Coventry Evening Telegraph
	Daventry Express
	Ealing & Acton Gazette
	Edinburgh Gazette
	Fulham & Hammersmith Chronicle
	Hampstead & Highgate Express
	Harrow Observer Group
	Islington Tribune
	Kilburn Times
	Leamington Spa Courier
	Lichfield Mercury
	London Gazette
	Manchester Evening News
	Metro (Evening Standard)
	Solihull News
	South Bucks Star
	Sutton Coldfield Observer
	Tamworth Herald
	The Times
	Uxbridge Gazette Series
	Watford Observer

Railways: Finance

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proportion of the overall Network Grant was intended to be used for subsidising track access charges in each year from 2008-09 to 2012-13.

Stephen Hammond: Network Rail's funding comes from two main sources: Government grant and track access charges. The amount of funding is set by the independent Office of Rail Regulation as part of their five-yearly Periodic Review of Network Rail's outputs and funding.
	Government pays Network Grant direct to Network Rail. Track access charges are paid directly to Network Rail by the Train Operators. As such the two revenue streams are separate and Network Grant is not used for subsidising track access charges.

Rescue Services: Belfast

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many (a) full-time and (b) part-time staff were employed at the Belfast Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre in each of the last five years.

Stephen Hammond: The process to compile data in respect of how many (a) full-time and (b) part-time staff employed at the Belfast Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre in each of the last five years involves reconciliation from multiple sources.
	I have asked officials at the Maritime and Coastguard Agency to compile the information and I will write with the full answer once this information has been collated and a copy will be placed in Libraries of the House.

Rescue Services: Belfast

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many times the Belfast Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre was staffed at below risk assessed levels in January 2014.

Stephen Hammond: During January 2014 Belfast Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) was staffed below risk assessed levels on six occasions out of 62 shifts.
	Where there are specific issues at a MRCC Her Majesty's Coastguard is using the current long established pairing arrangements between MRCCs. This enables each MRCC to be connected to at least one other MRCC which is available to provide mutual support.

Rescue Services: Belfast

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many (a) full-time and (b) part-time staff are currently employed at the Belfast Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre.

Stephen Hammond: There are currently (a) 25 full-time and (b) 2 part-time staff employed at Belfast Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre.

Severn River Crossing

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the current estimated end date is of the Severn River Crossings concession.

Robert Goodwill: The Severn River Crossings concession is expected to end in 2018.

Severn River Crossing

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent estimate he has made of the level of the outstanding debt following the end of the Severn River Crossings concession.

Robert Goodwill: The accumulated costs owed to Government that need be recovered after the end of the concession are estimated to be £88 million.

Vehicle and Operator Services Agency

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the total budget of the Vehicle and Operator Standards Agency was in each year from 2009 to date; and what his estimate is of the budget in 2015.

Stephen Hammond: The information requested is shown in the following table.
	
		
			 £ million 
			  Actual From business plan  
			 VOSA budget 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-151 
			 Income 190.2 190.7 188.6 182.9 178.5 n/a 
			 Expenses (204.8) (179.4) (171.9) (169.0) (174.5) n/a 
			 Surplus/(Deficit) (14.5) 11.3 16.7 13.8 4.0 n/a 
			 1 We are unable to provide the figures for 2014-15 as they have not yet been finalised.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Animal Experiments

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether she intends to include a target for the number of scientific experiments conducted on animals in her Department's strategy for reducing the number of animals used in medical experimentation.

Norman Baker: holding answer 30 January 2014
	The Coalition Commitment to work to reduce the number of animals in scientific research is not concerned with just baseline numbers which are influenced by a range of extraneous factors. Instead it encompasses the replacement, refinement and reduction (3R's) more broadly, putting them at the heart of a science led approach.
	Our Delivery Plan will shortly be published and will set out how the Government is supporting and encouraging these advances and the programmes and policies through which Government will continue to deliver its commitment. The consequence will be accelerated take up of the 3R's, both domestically and internationally set on the tenets of good science, good animal welfare and good for the UK and economic growth.
	Our commitment to reduce the use of animals is being delivered through a science-led programme led by the National Centre for Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs), an organisation with a strong record in reducing animal use. The Coalition Government is proud to support the work of the NC3Rs which is an internationally recognised leader in the field.
	I also welcome the Technology Strategy Board's recent announcement of its decision to invest £4 million in feasibility studies into how non-animal technologies can be further developed and applied to improve product development across a range of industries.

Animal Experiments

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cats and dogs were used in experiments in the UK (a) in the last 12 months and (b) in the year ended January 2009; and what steps her Department is taking to ensure that the use of cats and dogs in experiments is phased out.

Norman Baker: The publication "The Annual Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals" is published annually and copies are available in the House Library.
	In 2012, the last year for which statistics are available, 3,214 dogs and 202 cats were used in scientific procedures. During 2008, 4,271 dogs and 176 cats were used in scientific procedures.
	The use of animals in scientific research is not allowed if there is an alternative that does not use animals and the Government strongly supports the development and use of non-animal alternatives. Dogs, cats and some other species are given special protection by the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 and may only be used if no other species is suitable or it is not practicable to obtain animals of any other species that are suitable for the purposes of the relevant programme of work.
	Dogs, where used at all, are primarily used in pharmaceutical research and development, or in pharmaceutical safety and efficacy evaluations. They are also used, when no other species is suitable, in the evaluation of cardiovascular and cardiorespiratory problems in humans. Such work contributes to advances in human healthcare. Dogs are also used in the development of veterinary medicines and techniques.
	Cats are primarily used in the development of veterinary medicines and techniques, and in neurological research. Much of the veterinary research is for the benefit of cats
	In 2010, the Coalition Government made a commitment to work to reduce the use of animals in scientific research in "Coalition: our programme for Government".
	The Coalition Commitment is not concerned with just baseline numbers, but encompasses the replacement, refinement and reduction (3R's) more broadly, putting them at the heart of a science led approach.
	We will publish a delivery plan shortly that will set out how the Government is supporting and encouraging these advances and the programmes and policies through which Government will continue to deliver its commitment. The consequence will be accelerated take up of the 3R's, both domestically and internationally set on the tenets of good science, good animal welfare and good for the UK and economic growth.

Animal Experiments

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she is taking to release more information pertaining to the conducting of animal experiments in the UK; and if she will make a statement.

Norman Baker: We are actively reviewing section 24 which provides for the protection of confidential information provided in connection with our regulatory activities under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986. A breach of section 24 can result in criminal sanctions. However, Section 24 is now out of step with government policy on openness and transparency and with the approach taken in other legislation, such as the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
	The challenge is to design a more flexible framework that will provide greater transparency to assist public understanding whilst protecting proprietary rights and intellectual property.

Drugs: Screening

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  when he plans to introduce saliva drug testing kits for drugs other than cannabis; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what approval process will be followed for the use of saliva drug testing kits for drugs other than cannabis; and if she will make a statement.

Norman Baker: The Road Traffic Act 1988 stipulates that drug testing devices must be of a type approved by the Secretary of State. The type approval testing process involves detailed laboratory evaluation to ensure that devices meet the stringent technical requirements laid out in published specifications. These specifications define the requirements for the construction of Preliminary Drug Testing Devices for both station-based and mobile drug testing devices.
	In 2012, a device was type approved for use in police stations for the detection of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC, one of the psychoactive components of cannabis). In 2013, a specification for mobile drug testing devices was released, and manufacturers were invited to submit mobile devices for consideration for type approval. Work is ongoing towards type approval of mobile drug testing devices that will test for cannabis, cocaine and the main metabolite of cocaine, benzoylecgonine. It is anticipated that laboratory testing of devices will commence in the next three months. This is to ensure that a recommendation for type approval of mobile drug testing devices can be made as close as possible to the introduction of the new drug driving offence planned for summer 2014.

Licensing Laws

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which NHS bodies have replaced primary care trusts as responsible authorities for the purpose of determining a premises license application; and when she plans to update the guidance given to local authorities and potential applicants on the .gov.uk website to reflect the fact that primary care trusts no longer exist.

Norman Baker: The Statutory Guidance issued under section 182 of the Licensing Act 2003 was revised in June 2013. This latest version is available on the GOV.UK website and states that the each local authority's Director of Public Health in England (DPH) or Local Health Board in Wales are responsible authorities under the licensing Act 2003.

Police Custody

Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the oral answer of 27 January 2014, Official Report, column 638, on police recruitment, if she will place the letter to HM Inspector of Constabulary on an all-force inspection on the welfare of vulnerable people in custody with particular reference to people with mental health conditions and people from Black and minority ethnic backgrounds in the Library.

Theresa May: holding answer 30 January 2014
	I am aware of the hon. Gentleman's campaign to prevent deaths in police custody, ensure the welfare of vulnerable people in custody, and improve the experience of loved ones when people do, sadly, die in custody. As the Minister for Policing, Criminal Justice and Victims, my right hon. Friend the Member for Ashford (Damian Green), told the House on Monday, I wrote to the Chief HM Inspector of Constabulary on 24 January. I asked the Inspectorate to undertake a specific thematic inspection in 2014-15 on the welfare of vulnerable people in police custody including, but not limited to, those with mental health problems and people from black and minority ethnic backgrounds. I am placing a copy of my letter in the Library of the House, and I commend my hon. Friend for his work.

Secondment

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many secondments of staff in her Department (a) to and (b) from the private sector have taken place in the last three months; and in each such case what the name of the organisation concerned and the duration of the secondment was.

James Brokenshire: No staff have been seconded into the Home Office from the private sector or out to the private sector during the last three months.

ATTORNEY-GENERAL

Legal Aid Scheme

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General what the policy is of the Crown Prosecution Service and the Serious Fraud Office on whether to proceed with prosecutions of defendants who have not been able to find counsel to represent them under the new fee regime for very high-cost criminal cases.

Oliver Heald: The policy of the Crown Prosecution Service and the Serious Fraud Office is to proceed.

Prosecutions

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General how many and what proportion of decisions to take no further action referred to the Crown Prosecution Service by the police concerned (a) indictable-only offences, (b) serious sexual offences excluding child abuse, (c) child abuse and (d) domestic violence in each year since 2006.

Oliver Heald: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) does not maintain a central record of the number of referrals made to the CPS by the police for specific offences or offence type, such as sexual offences or indictable only offences.
	The CPS does identify, by way of monitoring flags, the number of pre-charge decisions, including decisions to take no further action, in respect of cases flagged as involving allegations of child abuse and domestic violence, since statutory charging was fully rolled out across England and Wales in April 2006.
	The following tables show, for each financial year from April 2006, the number and proportion of decisions to take no further action in cases flagged as child abuse and domestic violence1:
	1 The CPS collects data to assist in the effective management of its prosecution functions. The CPS does not collect data which constitute official statistics as defined in the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007. These data have been drawn from the CPS's administrative IT system, which (as with any large scale recording system) is subject to possible errors with data entry and processing. The figures are provisional and subject to change as more information is recorded by the CPS.
	
		
			 (c) Child abuse 
			  No further action  
			  Number Percentage Total pre-charge decisions 
			 2006-07 4,702 40.9 11,485 
			 2007-08 4,691 40.6 11,542 
			 2008-09 4,283 38.6 11,094 
			 2009-10 4,776 37.6 12,691 
			 2010-11 4,735 36.4 13,015 
			 2011-12 3,948 34.0 11,610 
			 2012-13 2,987 31.8 9,379 
			 Note: The CPS definition of child abuse covers any case where the victim was under 18 years of age at the time of the offence. 
		
	
	
		
			 (d) Domestic violence 
			  No further action  
			  Number Percentage Total pre-charge decisions 
			 2006-07 18,142 27.2 66,639 
			 2007-08 20,088 27.1 74,065 
			 2008-09 20,475 25.5 80,423 
			 2009-10 24,274 26.6 91,184 
			 2010-11 27,132' 26.8 101,242 
			 2011-12 24,581 25.8 95,117 
			 2012-13 23,518 26.7 88,110 
			 Note: The CPS defines domestic violence as any threatening behaviour, violence or abuse (psychological, physical, sexual, financial or emotional) between those who are or have been intimate partners or family members, regardless of gender or sexuality. Family members include mother, father, son, daughter, sister, and grandparents, whether directly related, in laws or step family.

Royal Bank of Scotland

Paul Flynn: To ask the Attorney-General how many bankers (a) formerly and (b) currently employed by the Royal Bank of Scotland are being investigated for (i) fraud and (ii) other criminal acts in respect of (A) the authorisation of the misselling of financial products and (B) Libor rate manipulation.

Oliver Heald: It would not be appropriate to give this information while investigations are ongoing.

RSPCA

Karl McCartney: To ask the Attorney-General whether he was consulted about the choice of Mr Stephen Wooler to head the investigation into the RSPCA's prosecution policy.

Oliver Heald: Neither the Attorney-General or I were consulted about the choice of Stephen Wooler to conduct an investigation into the RSPCA's prosecution's policy, although his name was suggested to the RSPCA by my officials as a person who may be appropriate to conduct such a review given his previous role as Chief Inspector of Her Majesty's Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate.

Serious Fraud Office

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General what steps he is taking to monitor whether the Serious Fraud Office complies with its obligation under the Human Rights Act 1998 when executing requests for mutual legal assistance.

Oliver Heald: The decision to accept a request for mutual legal assistance is one for the UK Central Authority in the Home Office taking into account all applicable domestic and international law obligations (including human rights obligations) and any wider policy issues which may apply.
	In addition, the Attorney-General and I regularly discuss a wide range of issues with the director of the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) and are assured that compliance with the SFO’s obligations under the Human Rights Act 1998 is integral to the work of his office.

Serious Fraud Office

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 30 January 2014, how much of the £19 million additional resources for the Serious Fraud Office has been ear-marked for specific investigations or prosecutions.

Oliver Heald: It is not in the public interest to specify what resources the Serious Fraud Office intends to dedicate to each case.

Sexual Offences: Prosecutions

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General how many prosecutions there were following (a) kerb crawling, (b) brothel keeping and (c) controlling prostitution in each of the last six years; and how many such cases were reported to the Crown Prosecution Service by the Police for a charging decision.

Oliver Heald: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) does not maintain a central record of the number of cases referred to it by the police for a pre-charge decision where the alleged offences were either kerb crawling, keeping a brothel or controlling prostitution. To obtain details of the number of cases referred for a charging decision for these offences would require a manual exercise incurring disproportionate cost.
	The records1 held by the CPS identify the number of offences (not defendants) in which a prosecution commenced and reached a first hearing in magistrates courts. In each of the last six years the number of offences prosecuted by the CPS, in which the prosecution commenced and reached a first hearing is detailed in the following table.
	
		
			  2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 
			 (a) Solicit another for the purpose of obtaining their sexual services as a prostitute in a street/public place (kerb crawling) 534 365 419 327 314 233 
			 (b) Brothel keeping 142 221 114 197 140 97 
			 (c) Controlling prostitution 83 110 98 111 80 50 
		
	
	Offences of kerb crawling (or solicitation) are charged by way of section 51A of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 which repealed, as from 31 March 2010, the solicitation offences previously prosecuted under the Sexual Offences Act 1985. Offences of brothel keeping are prosecuted under sections 33 to 36 of the Sexual Offences Act 1956 and section 53A of the Sexual Offences Act 2003. Controlling, causing or inciting prostitution offences are prosecuted under sections 52 and 53 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003. A single defendant may be prosecuted for multiple offences.
	To obtain details of the number of defendants prosecuted for these offences would require a manual exercise of reviewing individual case files incurring a disproportionate cost.
	1 The CPS collects data to assist in the effective management of its prosecution functions. The CPS does not collect data which constitute official statistics as defined in the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007. These data have been drawn from the CPS's administrative IT system, which (as with any large scale recording system) is subject to possible errors with data entry and processing. The figures are provisional and subject to change as more information is recorded by the CPS.

Witnesses

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General how many victims and witnesses were referred to Crown Prosecution Service-run witness care units in (a) each year from 2008-09 to 2012-13 and (b) 2013-14.

Oliver Heald: The following table shows the number of civilian victims and witnesses supported by joint police/Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) witness care units (WCUs) in cases where a Not Guilty plea has been entered.
	
		
			  Victims Witnesses Total 
			 2008-09 137,015 356,509 493,524 
			 2009-10 151,445 357,367 508,812 
			 2010-11 165,664 373,618 539,282 
			 2011-12 160,559 358,896 519,455 
			 2012-13 142,107 351,231 493,338 
			 2013-14 (April to December 2013) 99,983 237,597 337,580 
		
	
	These data have been obtained from the Witness Management System (WMS), which is a management information system that nearly all WCUs use. The exceptions are the WCUs in North Yorkshire and Kent, as they use different management information systems and the data are not collected centrally, and they are therefore not included in the data set out in the table.
	The CPS collects data to assist in the effective management of its prosecution functions. The CPS does not collect data which constitute official statistics as defined in the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007. These data have been drawn from an administrative IT system, which (as with any large scale recording system) is subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Animals: Exports

Michael Crockart: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress he has made on negotiating with third countries to accept compartmentalisation as a concept to be included in their export health certificates to permit the continued sale and export of breeding stock from the UK in the event of an outbreak of notifiable disease specific to such stock in the UK.

George Eustice: We continue to make good progress promoting the use of compartmentalisation to help avoid trade in breeding poultry being interrupted in the event of an outbreak in the UK of notifiable avian influenza or Newcastle disease. For example, New Zealand has accepted our poultry compartment scheme and Canada and Japan have visited the UK to assess it. When negotiating or reviewing export health certificates with third countries, we will continue to explore with them the compartmentalisation option.

Cattle

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many cattle were slaughtered in (a) England and (b) Wales in each of the last three years.

George Eustice: DEFRA collects data on the number of livestock slaughtered according to both England and Wales combined. These numbers are published on a monthly basis at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cattle-sheep-and-pig-slaughter
	
		
			  Number of head:  
			  Prime cattle (calves, steers, heifers, young bulls) Cows and adult bulls Total 
			 2011 1,306,000 481,000 1,788,000 
			 2012 1,214,000 472,000 1,686,000 
			 2013 1,184,000 447,000 1,631,000 
		
	
	These include any UK prime cattle of all ages (calves, steers, heifers, young bulls) slaughtered as meat for human consumption in abattoirs in England and Wales.
	Slaughter statistics are required by the EU under Regulation (EC) No 1165/2008.
	DEFRA runs a monthly survey of registered England and Wales slaughterhouses. It is a statutory survey (of approximately 105 slaughterhouses) that collects information on livestock slaughter numbers and weight of meat produced.
	All major slaughterhouses participate in the survey and the response rate is typically 100%. These data are supplemented by administrative data for smaller slaughterhouses.

Climate Change

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress he has made on implementation of the recommendations of the Climate Change Risk Assessment for the Energy Sector on mitigation of the identified in the Tier 1 assessment for each of the 11 sectors collectively; how much has it cost to date to (a) mitigate and (b) adapt to the impacts; and if he will make a statement on how he plans to take forward work on this report.

Michael Fallon: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Energy and Climate Change.
	The National Adaptation Programme (NAP) published last summer set out the Government's response to the risks identified in Climate Change Risk Assessment, across a number of sectors including energy together with a register of actions going forward. Progress against actions will be assessed by the Adaptation Sub-Committee (ASC) of the Committee on Climate Change. This forms part of its statutory duty under the Climate Change Act to assess progress towards implementation of objectives, proposals and policies highlighted in the NAP and the register of actions, with reports to be published in 2015 and every two years thereafter.
	DECC does not hold information on costs as this is a matter for companies concerned and for Ofgem where it is relevant to price control setting. Actions to adapt the energy system to climate change are in addition those needed to maintain the resilience and reliability of networks in the face of standard challenges including severe weather.

Databases

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the previous data-collection system will still be closed on 1 April 2014 and transferred to the SAM system as scheduled.

George Eustice: The decommissioning of Vetnet will commence after the final module of the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency's change programme has been delivered, which is expected to happen later this year. The decommissioning process will take account of the need to ensure we have access to legacy data that needs to be retained in line with retention periods.

Eels

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of recent trends in the number of eels in the UK; and what steps he is taking to improve eel habitats.

George Eustice: European eel stocks have declined significantly over recent decades. The European Council Regulation 1100/2007, for the recovery of the European eel, requires relevant member states to produce eel management plans aimed at reversing the decline in eel numbers. These eel management plans (EMP) set out actions aimed at achieving 40% 'escapement' of silver (mature) eel to the sea compared to 'pristine' conditions (i.e. before declines started and without any anthropogenic impacts such as habitat loss affecting the eels as they grow to maturity in river systems before 'escaping' to the sea). The UK's fisheries administrations have produced 15 EMPs for the European Commission; we are putting these plans into action. These cover the UK's 15 river basin districts and can be found at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/policies/managing-freshwater-fisheries/supporting-pages/increasing-eel-stocks
	This European Eel Regulation also requires member states to report, on a three- yearly basis, progress in implementing the measures outlined in EMPs. The latest report published in 2012 can be found at:
	http://archive.defra.gov.uk/foodfarm/fisheries/documents/fisheries/emp/2012- implementation.pdf
	An assessment of recent year-on-year trends is not available for the UK as a whole. A comparison of the results in the 2012 EMP report and the next reporting period, due in 2015, may be possible when new data are analysed. However, there are significant uncertainties looking at any trends in eel populations, mainly due to unknowns from monitoring information and because the eel is a long lived species any changes will only be detected long term. The last two years have seen glass eel catches the size of which haven't been seen since the 1990s, but this improvement cannot be assessed in terms of eel recovery at this stage.

Gangmasters Licensing Authority

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 6 January 2014, Official Report, column 157W, on Gangmasters Licensing Authority, how many criminal investigations as a result of GLA operations resulted in court orders for the offender to pay compensation to victims in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13.

George Eustice: The GLA secured no compensation payments through the imposition by the courts of compensation orders on those convicted of offences under the Gangmasters Licensing Act 2004 during the three financial years 2010-13.

Nature Conservation: Crime

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many wildlife incidents were reported in the UK in each of the last three years; how many such incidents were prosecuted; and how many such prosecutions resulted in a conviction.

George Eustice: DEFRA does not hold this information.

Owls

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the number of owls in the UK; and what steps he is taking to increase that number.

George Eustice: Population estimates for the five regularly occurring owls in the UK are published independently by the British Trust for Ornithology. The most recent estimates are set out as follows. Estimates for little owl and tawny owl are considered more reliable than for the other three species.
	
		
			 Species Population estimate (breeding pairs) Date of most recent assessment 
			 Barn owl 4,000 1995 to 1997 
			 Little owl 5,700 2009 
			 Tawny owl 50,000 2005 
			 Long-eared owl 1,800 to 6,000 2007 to 2011 
			 Short-eared owl 620 to 2,180 2007 to 2011 
		
	
	All wild birds are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and it is an offence to kill or injure any wild bird and to take, damage or destroy their nests or eggs. In addition to this strict legal protection, measures are being taken to improve habitats occupied by owls.
	Agri-environment schemes such as Environmental Stewardship are the principal means of improving habitats and the wider environment on farmland in England. Farmers receive funding to manage the cropped environment and provide additional habitats on their farms for birds and other wildlife. Activities currently funded by Environmental Stewardship of benefit to owls include: the establishment of grassy margins and buffer strips and the management of field corners, which can provide additional habitat for prey species, such as small mammals; the restoration of traditional farm buildings, which can provide both shelter and nesting sites; and the provision of nest boxes.

Owls

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment his Department has made on the effect of the use of rat poisons on the barn owl population.

George Eustice: DEFRA has not made an assessment of the effect of the use of rat poisons on the barn owl population. However, levels of rodenticides are monitored via the Predatory Bird Monitoring Scheme and the Wildlife Incident Investigation Scheme investigates deaths of wildlife where pesticides are implicated. I am aware of the risks posed by secondary poisoning and this is why it is important to use rodenticides lawfully and in accordance with all the conditions.

River Thames

Nicola Blackwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent investigations his Department has undertaken into river bed changes and sedimentation rates on the upper River Thames and its tributaries, particularly in Oxfordshire.

Dan Rogerson: We have not completed formal studies on sedimentation rates on the upper River Thames and its tributaries in Oxfordshire. As part of our river flow modelling programme we survey the soft bed and hard bed of the river. This shows the depth of accumulated silt, which in turn provides a measure for the quantity of sedimentation. In the last 12 months, we have completed five of these studies, extending for a length of 100 km (Somerford Keynes to St Johns, Wolvercote Mill to Sandford and connecting tributaries along both sections).
	Further down the River Thames, we completed studies in some stretches of the river to determine the movement and build up rates of sediment. These are also likely to have relevance for the Upper Thames. The areas considered were downstream of the Jubilee River (Datchet). The studies were taken over a period of three years and showed that the River Thames is much more dynamic than first thought, with large amounts of silt moving through the reaches and in many locations was found to be "self-cleansing".

Sea Fish Industry Authority

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for what reasons fish consumers are subject to a levy to fund the Sea Fish Industry Authority (Seafish).

Dan Rogerson: The Fisheries Act 1981 established the Sea Fish Industry Authority to promote the efficiency of the industry. In general, fish consumers are not directly subject to a levy to fund the Sea Fish Industry Authority. The levy is due on all first-hand purchases of sea fish, shellfish and sea fish products including fishmeal landed in the United Kingdom. A first-hand purchase takes place when product is purchased from:
	A fisherman or boat owner;
	A foreign supplier; or
	Fish and shellfish farmers, growers and cultivators.
	Levy is also due from any UK registered fishing vessel owner, fish and shellfish farmer, grower or cultivator who lands product in the United Kingdom for subsequent sale direct to a foreign customer, or who trans-ships product within British fishery limits.
	Levy is not charged on salmon and migratory trout. Levy is also not charged on canned or bottled fish, or sea fish products packed in a hermetically sealed container which is processed to inhibit microbial growth at ambient temperature.

Veterinary Medicine: EU Nationals

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will have discussions with the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons on the introduction of mandatory oral and written English tests for veterinary surgeons from the EU. [R]

George Eustice: DEFRA officials will continue to have discussions with the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons about how DEFRA can enable the college to put in place processes to check the language ability of veterinary surgeons from the EU. Any such testing must meet requirements of EU law, in recognition of the professional qualifications Directive 2005/36/EC.

HEALTH

Autism

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what plans he has to ensure that greater transparency and accountability in the delivery of services for adults with autism are incorporated into the forthcoming review of the adult autism strategy;
	(2)  what plans he has to develop greater autism awareness in local communities.

Norman Lamb: As part of the ongoing Review of the Adult Autism Strategy, we are considering a proposal from the National Autistic Society on how local areas could become more autism-aware communities.
	Public Health England (PHE) currently oversees the completion by local areas of a self-assessment exercise identifying progress being made in relation to the adult autism strategy. Individual returns should be discussed by Health and Wellbeing Boards and will be made available shortly by PHE to allow for local discussion and challenge. As part of the review of the strategy, we are also considering how the views and experiences of people with autism can have an even greater impact in this process.

Autism

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to ensure that autism is included in the revised mandate for Health Education England.

Daniel Poulter: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave on 4 November 2013, Official Report, column 64W, to the hon. Member for Washington and Sunderland West (Mrs Hodgson), and to my remarks to him in the Care Bill Standing Committee on the content of the revised Health Education England mandate on 28 January 2014, Official Report, column 483.

Autism

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions his Department has had with the Department for Work and Pensions to ensure that the Department addresses issues on employment and benefits raised during the listening exercise on the review of the adult autism strategy.

Norman Lamb: Officials have been working closely with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) on issues relating to employment and benefits following the listening exercise on the review of the Adult Autism Strategy. DWP has recently published the disability and health employment strategy which outlines a more personalised and tailored approach to employment support for disabled people including people with autism.
	The disability and health employment strategy is designed to ensure that disabled people including people with autism can make a smooth transition into work and receive adequate in-work support when they secure employment. We are working closely with DWP officials to inform the delivery of their strategy and are supporting a stakeholder event in March with the DWP, senior representatives from the National Autistic Society and people with autism as part of this process.

Autism

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his policy is on the introduction of a community-based awareness scheme for autism.

Norman Lamb: As part of the ongoing Review of the Adult Autism Strategy, we are considering a proposal from the National Autistic Society on how local areas could become more autism-aware communities.

Botulism: Babies

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many infants were diagnosed with botulism in each of the last three years.

Jane Ellison: The number of cases of infant botulism in the United Kingdom in each of the past three years includes:
	
		
			  2011 2012 2013 
			 Number of cases in infants1 3 1 2 
			 1 www.hpa.org.uk/Topics/InfectiousDiseases/InfectionsAZ/Botulism/EpidemiologicalData/

Breast Cancer: Drugs

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with Cardiff University on the drug developed by that university that may control the spread of breast cancer.

Jane Ellison: Neither I nor the Secretary of State for Health, my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), have had such discussions.
	We understand that development is still at an early stage and work is under way to progress the compound to clinical trials.

Cancer: Drugs

Eric Ollerenshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 13 January 2014, Official Report, columns 405-6W, on cancer drugs, 
	(1)  what communications he has received from NHS England on the effect of NICE decisions on the Cancer Drugs Fund;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the effect of changes in the cancer drugs approved by NICE on the Cancer Drugs Fund;
	(3)  what assurance he has received from NHS England that a potential overspend in the Cancer Drugs Fund will not affect patients who need access to medicines through the Fund; and if he will place in the Library a copy of any such assurance received.

Norman Lamb: Ministers have not had any communications from NHS England on the effect of National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) decisions on the Cancer Drugs Fund.
	We understand that NHS England takes NICE decisions into account in its planning for the Fund. Where a cancer drug funded through the Fund is recommended by NICE, responsibility for funding it will transfer from the Fund to national health service commissioners, who are legally required to fund NICE-recommended treatments.
	Departmental officials have regular discussions with NHS England about the management of the Fund. In these discussions, assurances have been given that no patient whose treatment is currently being funded through the Fund will have funding withdrawn, as long as it is clinically appropriate that they continue to receive that treatment.

Children: Protection

Meg Munn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the child protection information sharing project; and if he will make a statement.

Daniel Poulter: Development of the business case for the Child Protection—Information Sharing project, which involved engagement with over 150 health and social care professionals concerned with the protection of children, included a full assessment of its expected benefits.
	The project is designed to offer practitioners in emergency departments and other unscheduled health care settings prompt and easy access to relevant social care information about a child's history, including whether the child is subject to a child protection plan or is looked after by a local authority. This information will help the clinician to make a clear assessment of a child's risk of abuse or neglect. The system will also give local authorities information on when and where children for whom they are responsible have presented in such health care settings.
	The Child Protection—Information Sharing project is expected to go live in first wave sites in Lancashire and London in spring 2014. Evaluation will be ongoing and any lessons learned will be taken on board before the project is rolled out to further sites.

Compulsorily Detained Mental Patients

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many people have been detained under Mental Health legislation at a hospital in England in each year since 2010;
	(2)  how many people detained under Mental Health legislation have been transferred to hospitals in England in each year since 2010.

Norman Lamb: We do not have figures for people detained in England under the Mental Health Act 1983 who have been transferred to hospitals in England in each year requested as the first analysis of these figures was in the year 2012-13. Data on the number of transfers for that year is supplied in the following table.
	
		
			 Transfers from prison and the courts under part III of the Mental Health Act, 2012-13, England 
			  Number 
			 All court and prison disposals 1,785 
			 Note: The figure in the table (1,785) does not match total part 3 admissions in table 3 of reference data tables (1,788) as it does not include three detentions under section 45A. Source: Prison Health Reporting System, Mental Health Numeric Indicators submission.

Health Services

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the division of responsibility for health services policy is between his Department and NHS England.

Jane Ellison: The functions and duties of the Secretary of State for Health and of NHS England (referred to in the legislation as the National Health Service Commissioning Board) with regard to the national health service are set out in the National Health Service Act 2006 (as amended in particular by the Health and Social Care Act 2012).
	NHS England's primary functions relate to the commissioning of health services. It discharges these functions by (a) allocating funds to, guiding and supporting clinical commissioning groups, and holding them to account; and (b) directly commissioning services, such as primary care services, certain prescribed specialised services, and services for detained persons.
	The Secretary of State retains ministerial responsibility to Parliament for the provision of the health service in England. Each year, the Secretary of State sets out a mandate specifying NHS England's objectives in exercising its functions and NHS England's performance in meeting those objectives is kept under review by the Secretary of State.
	The Secretary of State also has public health functions under the 2006 Act, working with local authorities.

Healthcare Strategy Forum

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many meetings of the Health Care Strategy Forum officials from his Department have attended;
	(2)  what representations on public policy his Department has received from the Health Care Strategy Forum.

Daniel Poulter: We do not keep central records of which officials have attended external meetings and the information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. We have checked our main departmental correspondence database and can find no record of any correspondence from the Health Care Strategy Forum within the last 12 months. Any correspondence addressed to officials directly is not recorded centrally, and information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Hospitals: Air Pollution

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if he will issue guidance on the implementation of EN 13779:2007 and indoor air quality in hospitals;
	(2)  what he expects all NHS hospitals in England to meet the requirements of EN 13779:2007 on indoor air quality;
	(3)  how many NHS hospitals in England currently meet the requirements of EN 13779:2007 on indoor air quality.

Daniel Poulter: The Department's guidance document, ‘Health Technical Memorandum (HTM) 03-01: Specialised ventilation for healthcare premises’ sets out guidance for minimum standards with respect to ventilation strategy with health care premises. HTM 03-01 was published just prior to the publication of BS EN 13779:2007. This will be updated to reflect current standards when it is reviewed. HTM 03-01 forms part of the list of guidance currently due to be considered for review.
	There are currently no plans requiring national health service hospitals to implement BS EN 13779:2007 in a wholesale manner. Health care premises will currently utilise the guidance provided within HTM 03-01 to assist in the determination of indoor air quality standards. The hospital will select the relevant primary and secondary filtration dependent upon the air quality of the local environment and upon the requirements of the clinical area that is served by the air-handling unit in question to ensure the safety of patients and staff. Adoption of the filtration standards required by BS EN 13779:2007 is a decision for local NHS services after making an assessment of the risks involved.
	The Department does not collect data in relation to indoor air quality within NHS hospitals.

Influenza: Vaccination

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department spent on the seasonal influenza vaccination public awareness campaign for 2013-14, by category of expenditure.

Jane Ellison: Responsibility for the seasonal influenza vaccination public awareness campaign moved to Public Health England on 1 April 2013 along with the other departmental public health campaigns.
	To date, expenditure on seasonal flu advertising in 2013-14, aimed at increasing uptake of the flu vaccine among the most at risk groups, has totalled £481,041. This figure includes media expenditure (press, radio, magazines, online display, search and pharmacy bags).

Medical Records: Databases

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the benefits to treatment and care quality of making health records available for medical research.

Daniel Poulter: The benefits to treatment and care of making anonymised and linked patient records available to researchers, protecting patient confidentiality, are set out in the ‘Plan for Growth’, the ‘Strategy for UK Life Sciences’ and the NHS Chief Executive's report ‘Innovation Health and Wealth’.

Medical Records: Databases

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether any medical data will be extracted by care.data from GP-held records of patients who have objected to the use of their confidential information by others than those providing them with care.

Daniel Poulter: holding answer 3 February 2014
	In terms of information which identifies a patient, NHS England’s “Better information means better care” leaflet sets out how people can ask their GP practice to note their objections, which will prevent confidential, identifiable data about them being used by the care.data programme, other than in a very limited number of exceptional circumstances.
	As examples, existing public health legislation may require data to control the spread of specific infectious diseases or the police may require information about an individual patient when investigating serious crime. Decisions are made on a case-by-case basis and must balance legal requirements, the duty of confidentiality owed to the patient and the accepted public interest in a confidential health service, all against any benefits that may arise from the disclosure.
	It is important to note that provisions in the Health and Social Care Act 2012 are designed to strengthen and clarify the role of the Health and Social Care Information Centre so that information can be collected, held securely and made readily available to those who need it in safe, de-identified formats, with crucial safeguards in place to protect the confidential data it holds.
	The Health and Social Care Act 2012 is clear that
	“information which identifies or enables identification of a person must not be published”.

Midwives

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many midwifery students there were in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Daniel Poulter: Health Education England commissions midwifery training places on behalf of the national health service. In 2012-13, they funded a total 6,315 training places for midwives at various stages of training.

Postnatal Depression

Richard Harrington: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he has taken to support women suffering from post-natal depression; and what steps he has taken to increase awareness of post-natal depression in maternity services and social support.

Daniel Poulter: The Mandate from the Government to NHS England includes an objective for NHS England to work with partner organisations to reduce the incidence and impact of postnatal depression through earlier diagnosis, and better intervention and support.
	The NHS Mandate also includes an objective that every woman has a named midwife who is responsible for ensuring she has personalised care throughout pregnancy, childbirth and during the postnatal period. This will help clinicians to identify perinatal mental health problems as early as possible and to give women the support they need.
	To achieve this we have increased the number of midwives by over 1,500 and the number of health visitors by over 1,000 since May 2010. In addition, a record 5,000 midwifery students are currently in training and we are committed to having an extra 4,200 health visitors by 2015.
	Health Education England has committed to ensure that we have the right knowledge and training available so that we can be skilled in how we look after women's mental as well as physical health and ensure there will be specialist staff available for every birthing unit by 2017.
	The Institute of Health Visiting has delivered perinatal mental health training and introduced three interactive e-learning modules. This new resource will help health visitors in the detection and management of perinatal depression and other maternal mental health conditions.

Prescriptions: Fees and Charges

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will include stroke patients in the list of those exempted from prescription charges.

Norman Lamb: In 2010, responding to Professor Ian Gilmore's review into extending entitlement to free prescriptions to all those with a long-term condition, the Government made clear that in light of the challenging financial context, no changes would be made to the current list of exemptions. Prescription charges in England raise valuable income, in the region of £450 million each year, which helps the national health service to maintain vital services for patients.
	An extensive range of exemptions, based on age, income and medical condition are already in place to support those who may struggle to pay for their prescriptions. Around 90% of prescriptions are dispensed free of charge, including to those who have a Prescription Prepayment Certificate (PPC). PPCs are available for those who have to pay NHS prescription charges and need multiple prescriptions. With the annual PPC, someone can obtain as many items as they need for £2 a week. The price of the annual certificate has now been frozen for the fourth successive year, and the three-month PPC has been frozen for two years.

Re-employment

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many staff who have been made redundant or retired from his Department have subsequently been re-employed by his Department since May 2010.

Daniel Poulter: Since May 2010 the Department has re-employed one individual who had previously worked in the Department and was made redundant.
	The appointment followed a fair and open recruitment process which had been advertised on the civil service jobs website. The new appointment is permanent, and at a lower grade than the position previously held. There was a gap of 16 months between the leaving date and the new appointment.

Sexuality

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent representations he has received on conversion therapy.

Norman Lamb: The Department has recently received a number of representations on conversion therapy including three parliamentary questions, 35 pieces of correspondence and an adjournment debate which took place in Westminster Hall on 20 November 2013.
	We have also received a number of representations on the regulation of psychotherapists, some of which have been prompted by concerns around conversion therapy or the Private Member's ‘Counsellors and Psychotherapists (Regulation) Bill 2013-14’ which contains a requirement for a code of practice which
	"must include a prohibition on gay to straight conversion therapy".
	The Department is working with the UK Council for Psychotherapy and NHS England to minimise the risk that lesbians, gay men and bisexual people who seek counselling about their sexuality will encounter therapists attempting to change their sexual orientation because the therapist considers that being gay is wrong.

Smoking: Young People

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to prevent under-age smoking.

Jane Ellison: Reducing the uptake of smoking by children is a public health priority for the Government.
	The Government published ‘Healthy Lives, Healthy People: A Tobacco Control Plan for England’. This plan includes a national ambition to reduce smoking rates among 15-year-olds in England to 12% or less by the end of 2015.
	The Government introduced legislation to stop the sale of tobacco from vending machines in England in 2011. Legislation to end the displays of tobacco products was commenced for large shops in 2012 and will be extended to all other shops in 2015. These measures will play a role in reducing smoking among young people.
	On 29 January 2014 the House of Lords passed a Government amendment to the Children and Families Bill to enable the introduction of standardised packaging of tobacco products should the Government decide to proceed with this policy following the current Chandler Review.
	In addition, the Government made commitments during Report to also table amendments to this Bill to introduce a proxy purchasing offence for tobacco and for regulation-making powers to introduce an age of sale for nicotine products such as e-cigarettes.
	Both measures are aimed at protecting the health of children by reducing nicotine addiction and smoking-take among young people.
	Latest data show that smoking prevalence among 15-year-olds had fallen to 10% by 2012.
	‘Healthy Lives, Healthy People: A Tobacco Control Plan for England’ has already been placed in the Library.

Streptococcus

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish the reply by the Acting Chief Executive of the Health Protection Agency to the letter sent to him on 21 December 2012 by the Chief Medical Officer, Department of Health, in respect of Group B streptococcus in intrapartum women.

Daniel Poulter: The current Director for Health Protection and Medical Director for Public Health England (formerly the acting chief executive of the Health Protection Agency) is content to share the reply to the letter sent to him on 21 December 2012 by the chief medical officer, Department of Health, in respect of Group B streptococcus.
	A copy of the letter has been placed in the Library.

Streptococcus

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what advice his Department has given to regional and local laboratories to raise awareness among microbiology and pathology staff to ensure that the enhanced medium is offered when testing is requested in respect of Group B streptococcus in intrapartum women; and if he will make a statement.

Daniel Poulter: Public Health England (PHE) published a briefing note in January 2014 to provide information for PHE's regional microbiologists on the appropriate place of enriched culture medium (ECM) testing within current United Kingdom guidelines. This document was developed following discussion with other relevant professional bodies and is available on their website.
	The work that led to this briefing note concluded that no indications for testing high risk women using ECM methods have been evaluated or recommended within current clinical practice. Offering the test to low risk women at 35-37 weeks of pregnancy is also not recommended in the UK.
	As a result of this work, PHE decided not to introduce the test within its laboratories.
	This was also mentioned in internal PHE communications in December 2013 to regional heads of microbiology operations and regional microbiology network managers.

Telemedicine

Richard Harrington: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to increase the use of telehealth in the delivery of healthcare to tackle health issues for (a) the homeless, (b) those suffering from long-term physical and mental health conditions and (c) other health problems.

Norman Lamb: We recognise the significant benefits that telehealth can have on patient outcomes and experience, and that telehealth interventions could be used much more widely. The Department's Mandate to NHS England set out an ambition to achieve a significant increase in the use of technology to help people manage their health and care.
	The 3millionlives programme led by NHS England has been set up to address this and create an environment which enables service improvement underpinned by technologies such as telehealth for people living with long-term conditions.
	The objectives of the 3millionlives initiative are:
	to promote the benefits that telehealth, telecare and other tele-interventions can provide people in managing their health and care;
	to work with industry to develop the market and remove barriers to delivery;
	to create the right environment to support the uptake of tele-interventions;
	to work with the NHS, social care and other stakeholders to simplify procurement and
	commissioning processes for telehealth, telecare and other tele-interventions at scale; and
	to put the NHS and UK industry at the forefront of telehealth, telecare and other tele-intervention services globally, developing significant opportunities for UK plc.
	While this will focus on patients with long-term conditions (both physical and mental) in general, local commissioners will be best placed to determine which specific conditions or patient cohorts would benefit from particular tele-interventions.

Warrington Hospital

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to reduce ambulance waiting times at Warrington Hospital; and when he last discussed those waiting times with (a) representatives of that hospital and (b) the North West Ambulance Trust.

Daniel Poulter: Ambulance handover times at Warrington hospital are a matter for the local national health service. As such, no recent discussions have been held between the Department and Warrington and Halton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust or North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust about this matter.
	We have written to Allan Massey, chair of the Warrington and Halton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, informing him of the hon. Member's query. He will reply, shortly and a copy of the letter will be placed in the Library.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Arts: North West

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much arts funding from her Department and the Arts Council per head of population was allocated to (a) the North West, (b) Cheshire and (c) Warrington in each of the last five years.

Edward Vaizey: Arts Council England makes its funding decisions independently of Government and as such we do not hold the information requested. Nearly £3 billion will be invested in the Arts over the lifetime of this Parliament.

Gaming Machines

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the oral answer by the Prime Minister of 8 January 2014, Official Report, column 295, whether the review of Category B gaming machines due to report in the spring will include an assessment of effects of £100 stakes and £500 prizes of fixed odds betting terminals in betting shops on problem gambling; and if she will make a statement.

Helen Grant: DCMS has already carried out a review on the impact that a reduction in stake and/or prize limits on category B2 gaming machines would have on gambling related harm, which was published in October 2013. Formal advice received from the Gambling Commission and Responsible Gambling Strategy Board on the triennial review of gaming machine stakes and prizes recommended that a precautionary reduction in stake and/or prize limits was not supported by the available evidence. Since then DCMS has asked the bookmakers to provide more information which will help augment our understanding of the impact of these machines, including looking at their stake and prize levels. DCMS is working with the Gambling Commission, Responsible Gambling Strategy Board, the Responsible Gambling Trust and the industry itself, to assess a range of options-including but not limited to action on stakes and prizes-which might be effective in strengthening protection for users of category B gaming machines.

Olympic Games: Russia

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps her Department is taking to promote the rights of LGBT people during the Sochi Olympic Games.

Helen Grant: The Government has been proactive on this area and engaged frequently with the Russian Government during the past year.
	The Prime Minister raised concerns about the protection of human rights for LGB&T people with President Putin in a meeting in St Petersburg on 6 September 2013. He made clear the strength of feeling about the Russian law and its impact on LGB&T people.
	Ahead of the Sochi winter games, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Basingstoke (Maria Miller), visited Russia last December to meet with both Russian Government Ministers and NGO groups and discussed with them the situation for LGB&T people in Russia and the promotion and protection of human rights.
	Over the coming months Stonewall will be developing and working to deliver a programme of activities to Russian human rights defenders to help improve their capacity to support LGB&T people in Russia. Stonewall's work is being made possible through support from the UK Government.
	We are clear, and will continue to demonstrate, that the UK Government is committed to protecting human rights, not just in this country but abroad.

Pensions

Michael McCann: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what effect changes in pension contributions have had on the take-home pay of officials of her Department at (a) AA, (b) AO and LO2, (c) EO and LO1, (d) HEO, (e) SEO, (f) 7 and (g) SCS grades and equivalents since May 2010.

Helen Grant: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, my right hon. Friend the Member for Horsham (Mr Maude).

Press: Regulation

Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what progress her Department has made in establishing the Recognition Panel.

Edward Vaizey: This is a matter for the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments and not a matter for Government. I understand the Commissioner for Public Appointments has appointed the Appointments Committee that will make the initial appointments to the board of the panel.
	Further information can be found on the Commissioner's website:
	http://publicappointmentscommissioner.independent.gov.uk/press-self-regulation/

Re-employment

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many staff who have been made redundant or retired from her Department have subsequently been re-employed by her Department since May 2010.

Helen Grant: DCMS has not re-employed employees who have been made redundant or retired since May 2010.

Sports: Children

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which official within her Department is the (a) national lead and (b) strategic commissioner for under-14 community sport.

Helen Grant: DCMS is responsible for government policy on elite and community sport and provides funding to Sport England, an arm's length body of DCMS, to deliver community sport for all ages in England, including helping 14 to 25-year-olds to keep playing sport throughout their lives. The names, roles and responsibilities of DCMS Ministers and senior officials are set out on the DCMS website.

WOMEN AND EQUALITIES

Average Earnings

Philip Davies: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities what the average salary was of employees of the Government Equalities Office who were (a) male, (b) female, (c) of white ethnic origin, (d) of Black and minority ethnic origin, (e) disabled and (f) not disabled in the latest period for which figures are available.

Helen Grant: The tables show the average salary of employees of the Government Equalities Office who were (a) male, (b) female, (c) of white ethnic origin, (d) of other ethnic origin, (e) disabled and (f) not disabled in the latest period for which figures are available.
	
		
			 Gender 
			  Average salary (£) 
			 Male 43,963 
			 Female 41,867 
		
	
	
		
			 Ethnicity 
			  Average salary (£) 
			 Not declared 46,517 
			 Any other ethnic background 40,927 
			 Prefer not to say 35,003 
			 White 43,603 
			 Total 45,568 
		
	
	
		
			 Disability 
			  Average salary (£) 
			 Not declared 46,410 
			 No 43,599 
			 Prefer not to say 35,003 
			 Yes 39,932 
			 Total 45,568 
		
	
	Completion of diversity data is non-mandatory for staff. As such these figures may not be fully representative of work force diversity.

Complaints

Philip Davies: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities how many grievances have been raised by staff at the Government Equalities Office on the grounds of any kind of discrimination in each of the last five years; and what the outcome was in each case.

Helen Grant: No employees at the Government Equalities Office have raised grievances on the grounds of any kind of discrimination since they joined the DCMS payroll on 1 June 2013. We do not hold information prior to that date.

Staff

Philip Davies: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities what proportion of staff of the Government Equalities Department has not declared their status in answer to any or all of the questions in diversity declaration forms in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Helen Grant: The proportion of staff based in the Government Equalities Office who have not declared their status in answer to any or all of the questions in diversity declaration forms since June 2013 is 73%. Completion of this data is non-mandatory for staff though we actively encourage disclosure.
	We do not hold information prior to that date.

Staff

Philip Davies: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities how many employees of the Government Equalities Office are currently (a) male, (b) female, (c) of white ethnic origin, (d) of Black and minority ethnic origin, (e) disabled and (f) not disabled.

Helen Grant: The following tables show the number of full time equivalents based in the Government Equalities Office who are currently (a) male, (b) female, (c) of white ethnic origin, (d) of other ethnic origin, (e) disabled and (f) not disabled.
	
		
			 Ethnicity 
			  Number of FTEs 
			 Not declared 44.90 
			 Any other ethnic background 6.00 
			 Prefer not to say 1.00 
			 White 7.69 
			 Total 59.59 
		
	
	
		
			 Gender 
			  Number of FTEs 
			 Female 39.59 
			 Male 20.00 
			 Total 59.59 
		
	
	
		
			 Disability 
			  Number of FTEs 
			 Not declared 44.90 
			 No 12.69 
			 Prefer not to say 1.00 
			 Yes 1.00 
			 Total 59.59 
		
	
	Completion of this data is non-mandatory for staff. As such these figures may not be fully representative of workforce diversity.

Training

Philip Davies: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities how many staff currently working at the Government Equalities Office have not received diversity training.

Helen Grant: GEO employees have not completed the Equality and Diversity Essentials training provided by Civil Service Learning since they joined DCMS payroll on 1 June 2013. We do not hold information of training undertaken prior to that date.

DEFENCE

Afghanistan

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has for the future use of the Afghanistan Operational Equipment Fleet; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Francois: holding answer 13 January 2014
	The future of equipment bought through the Urgent Operational Requirement process for operations in Afghanistan is currently being considered, with a departmental provision of £1.5 billion over 10 years.
	I can confirm that we have already decided to bring some two thousand Protected Mobility Vehicles into the core programme, including 71 Coyotes, 325 Huskies, 441 Jackals, 439 Mastiffs, 169 Ridgbacks, and 60 Warthogs. This represents a significant increase in the Army's protected mobility capability.

Afghanistan

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) name and (b) regiment was of the Royal Engineer whose repatriation parade was scheduled for 31 December 2013 but which was cancelled soon after; and for what reason the repatriation was not carried out in public.

Anna Soubry: Captain Richard Holloway, Royal Engineers, 24 Commando Engineer Regiment was repatriated on 31 December 2013. The repatriation was carried out in private at the request of his family.

Armed Forces: Domestic Violence

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what measures are in place to support service families affected by domestic violence.

Anna Soubry: The Ministry of Defence does not tolerate domestic violence; neither do we consider it to be a purely private matter. The Department's policy is set out in a Joint Service Publication, which raises awareness about our policy and the sources of help available to everyone in the service community. This helps service personnel who are experiencing domestic violence, or who are aware of someone else who is experiencing violence, know what to do to seek help and have the confidence to do so.
	There are a comprehensive range of sources and help in place to support service families who are victims of domestic violence. This includes single-service welfare providers; welfare and personnel staff, and help lines. Practical help available includes alternative service accommodation and referral to specialist services such as refuge.

Asia

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 16 January 2014, Official Report, column 664W, on Asia, what projects are currently being carried out to help his Department assess the implications of sharing military assets, including unmanned systems, with the US in Asia. [R]

Mark Francois: There are no projects being undertaken by the Ministry of Defence to assess the implications of sharing military assets with the US specifically in Asia. However, the UK and US armed forces have a very close relationship and we continue to examine and pursue opportunities for burden sharing and for improving interoperability.

Colombia

Jim Sheridan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which (a) defence contractors and (b) other companies have been hosted by the Government at events connected with the visit of HMS Richmond to Cartagena; and if he will make a statement.

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what discussions were held between the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State and representatives of the Colombian government on the International Security Strategy and related matters; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what the outcome has been of the recent UK-Colombian discussions on proposed collaboration between the Royal Navy and the Colombian armed forces;
	(3)  what role Arfan Chaundhry has in the bilateral discussions between his Department and the (a) Colombian Government and (b) Colombian armed forces; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  if he will place in the Library a copy of the draft memorandum of understanding between the Government and the government and armed forces of Colombia arising from their discussion held aboard HMS Richmond in Cartagena; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Murrison: The bilateral discussion covered a number of areas for defence cooperation, focusing upon current counter narcotics activity and regional security, opportunities for us to further our relationship through transformation of the Colombian Defence organisation, Colombia's initiative to co-operate more with other nations and their interest in NATO, and opportunities to co-operate in maritime security. The memorandum of understanding that was signed during the meeting will facilitate greater cooperation and joint training between the Colombian Navy and the Royal Navy, with cooperation in counternarcotics as a primary intent. I will place a copy in the Library of the House shortly.
	Following the bilateral discussions, UK Trade & industry (UKTI) Defence & Security Organisation arranged a small Defence & Security Industry Day (DSID) onboard HMS Richmond, comprising six UK companies: BAE Systems, Selex ES, Surrey Satellites (SSTL), Agusta Westland, Cobham and MBDA. Representatives from the Colombian Navy, including cadets from the Naval College, attended the DSID. Arfan Chaudhry is a representative of the UKTI Defence & Security Organisation.

Curzon Institute

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent contact his Department had with (a) Curzon Education and (b) the Curzon Institute; what contracts his Department holds with those bodies; and what the value of those contracts is.

Philip Dunne: Details of meetings between Ministry of Defence Ministers and external organisations have been published since May 2010 and are available on Gov.uk:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ministers-gifts-hospitality-travel-and-meetings
	Details of meetings between senior Ministry of Defence staff and external organisations have been published since October 2010 and are available on the Gov.uk website at the following link:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/senior-staff-meetings
	Information on any other meetings with external organisations is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	The Ministry of Defence has no record of contracts being held with either Curzon Education or the Curzon Institute and has routinely published information on contracts awarded by the Department since January 2011 on the Government's contracts finder website at the following link:
	https://www.gov.uk/contracts-finder

Defence: Procurement

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which equipment programmes procured using a single source currently have a cost overrun risk ratio of over 50 per cent.

Philip Dunne: This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Djibouti

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 17 January 2014, Official Report, column 695W, on Djibouti, how many UK personnel are based at Camp Lemonnier; what the purpose is of their deployment; and under whose line of command those personnel fall. [R]

Mark Francois: holding answer 3 February 2014
	At present, there are three UK armed forces personnel embedded with US forces at Camp Lemonnier. They work within the Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa (CJFT-HOA) and are responsible for planning and supporting US military operations in the region. As embedded military personnel within a US headquarters they come under the command and control of the US armed forces, but remain subject to UK law, policy and military jurisdiction.

Firearms

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Sig Sauer pistols his Department bought as an urgent operational requirement; and what the cost to the public purse was of that purchase.

Philip Dunne: The cost to purchase a Sig Sauer was less than that estimated for repairing unserviceable Brownings. To meet operational demands in Iraq and Afghanistan, between 2003 and 2013 6,600 Sig Sauer pistols and associated drop holsters were purchased to a total cost of around £2.5 million.
	Purchases of the Sig Sauer pistol was an urgent operational order that was extant to the need to permanently replace the Browning. A full competition was carried out in 2012 and although seven different pistols, including the Sig Sauer, were considered and evaluated the contract was awarded to replace the Browning with the Glock 17 pistol which performed overall best in both performance and cost.

Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the progress of the F35 Lightning II programme.

Philip Dunne: Delivery of the F-35 programme in terms of performance, time and cost remains under continuous assessment as part of the Ministry of Defence's ongoing process of assurance. Overall, the F-35 programme continues to make steady progress. The development Flight Test programme is on target and in August 2013, the F-35B underwent a successful second set of carrier trials aboard the USS Wasp.
	The UK F-35 programme has taken delivery of its first three aircraft on schedule, which are currently based at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. An order was placed for a fourth UK aircraft in September 2013. The UK programme remains on track to deliver Initial Operating Capability in December 2018.

Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the annual maintenance costs of the F35.

Philip Dunne: The Ministry of Defence does not issue details of its cost estimates ahead of contractual negotiations, as this disclosure would prejudice its commercial interests. The UK has full access to US data on maintenance as well as conducting its own independent reviews and estimates in support of financial planning. At this relatively early stage of the programme, the support solution for the F-35 programme is still maturing and support costs during the current Low Rate Initial Production phase remain in line with forecast approvals.

Land

Lee Scott: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent discussions he has had on the possible disposal of surplus Ministry of Defence land and property for housing development in London and the South East.

Andrew Murrison: Ministry of Defence (MOD) Ministers hold regular discussions with officials and Cabinet colleagues on a range of land and property matters, including the possible disposal of surplus MOD property.

Marines

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his policy is on the future of the Royal Marines; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Francois: The Royal Marines will remain a fully integrated part of the Royal Navy. In particular, the Royal Marines' 3 Commando Brigade will continue to deliver the Lead Commando Group, as part of a maritime task force, forming a key component of our high readiness response force.

Military Aircraft

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many systems (a) have been delivered and (b) are operational under the Aircrew Moving Map Alerting System contract since that contract was awarded in October 2013.

Philip Dunne: The Aircrew Moving Map Wire Alerting System contract was awarded to Inspire in October 2013. To date 66 aircrew systems have been delivered and each delivery has been supported by a training package for air and ground crews.
	User communities have completed flight and ground trials and we expect to secure release to service, which will enable the system to be used operationally, very shortly.

NATO

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what personnel and assets from his Department will take part in the Iceland Air Meet 2014.

Mark Francois: No personnel or assets from the Ministry of Defence are participating in this NATO exercise.

Procurement

Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of his Department's overall procurement spend for each of the last three financial years was spent (a) in joint procurement exercises with other departments and (b) shared between different organisations within the same Department group.

Andrew Murrison: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) uses a number of centrally negotiated framework agreements managed by the Crown Commercial Service (CCS), formerly the Government Procurement Service. The proportion of spend for each financial year is provided in the following table:
	
		
			 Financial year Expenditure through CCS (approx. £ million) Proportion of overall procurement spend (approx. percentage) 
			 2010-11 342 1.7 
			 2011-12 900 4.5 
			 2012-13 1,400 7 
		
	
	Information on other pan-Governmental frameworks in use by the MOD and details of expenditure on shared procurement between different organisations within the departmental group is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Procurement

Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for each of the last three financial years how much and what proportion of his Department's procurement was conducted using e-procurement tools; and what the value of such contracts was.

Philip Dunne: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is committed to exploiting e-procurement fully to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of its purchasing process. Around 50% of contracts placed and around 60% by value of invoices paid so far in financial year (FY) 2013-14 have used Purchase 2 Payment (P2P), the Department's primary e-purchasing tool.
	The number of contracts placed by the MOD using P2P for the last three FYs is shown in the following table.
	
		
			 FY Number of new contracts on P2P Percentage of total contracts placed 
			 2011-12 1,077 23 
			 2012-13 1,236 37 
			 2013-141 865 52 
			 1 1 April 2013-30 January 2014 inclusive 
		
	
	Information prior to FY 2011-12 is not available.
	The value of current live contracts paid through P2P is £89.1 billion which represents 58% of all live contracts. Historical information covering the value of contracts on P2P for each previous FY is not held.

Publications

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a copy of the DE&S Inventory Strategic Plan.

Philip Dunne: The DE&S Inventory Management Strategy (IMS) was finalised in February 2013 and has not required updating since then. It reflects how the Department set the headmark to adopt a strategic approach to address the observations made by the National Audit Office report ‘Managing the Defence Inventory’, published in June 2012.
	The document will be placed in the Library of the House.

Russia

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects the Military Technical Co-operation Agreement with Russia to be signed.

Andrew Murrison: The UK and Russian Governments are working closely to finalise a military technical co-operation agreement for signature as soon as is practicable.

Space Technology

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress has been made on publication of a National Space Security Policy; and if he will make a statement.

Philip Dunne: The National Space Security Policy is in the process of approval by the National Security Council. It will be published in due course.

Space Technology

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment his Department has made of the potential contribution of the space and satellite industries to UK defence and security.

Philip Dunne: The UK is an innovator in delivering defence and security services from space. The UK space and satellite industry already makes a significant contribution to UK defence and security through the provision of secure satellite communications via Paradigm Secure Communications (now part of the Airbus Defence and Space Division of the Airbus Group).
	The Government continues to assess whether and how the UK industry could contribute more. The context in which this is considered will be set out in the forthcoming National Space Security Policy.

Unmanned Air Vehicles

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a copy of the recently declassified study on stress suffered by UK RPAS pilots carried out by Dr Wayne Cappelle. [R]

Mark Francois: UK remotely piloted air system pilots were not part of Dr Wayne Chappelle’s study.

Unmanned Air Vehicles

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 15 January 2014, Official Report, columns 578-79W, on unmanned aerial vehicles, what the role of the UK is in each of the three activities of the Unmanned Aerial Systems Programme identified in the answer. [R]

Philip Dunne: The UK role in the Coalition Attack Guidance Experiment (CAGE) is to deliver a simulation of the UK command and control (C2) and unmanned air systems (UAS) in a representative scenario to explore interoperability and C2 issues with our coalition partners.
	The UK role in MC-MACE is as collaborative partner participating in a series of joint experiments to evaluate multi-UAS control research concepts by providing software representations of ground control stations in a representative, simulation environment.
	The UK role in Bristow is to design, and execute a flight trial to assess the ability of ground systems to track small UAS and to evaluate the performance of the UAS without the aid of GPS. The Technical Cooperation Program (TTCP) nations were invited to observe the trial.

Unmanned Air Vehicles

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 19 December 2013, Official Report, column 709W, on unmanned Air Vehicles, whether the RAF officer responsible for liaison with US visiting forces at RAF Croughton has authority to stop a command by the USAF commander for release of a lethal weapon. [R]

Mark Francois: RAF Croughton is a communications facility and no combat operations are undertaken from the base. The use of UK bases for combat operations by the United States would in any case be a matter for joint decision by the UK and US Governments.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Care Homes

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what requirements there are for (a) frequency and (b) certification of fire inspections of residential and nursing care homes.

Brandon Lewis: holding answer 3 February 2014
	The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, introduced in October 2006, abolished the 1971 Fire Precautions Act which required certain businesses to apply for a fire certificate. Under the Fire Safety Order, all those responsible for non-domestic premises, including residential care and nursing homes, must now assess the risk from fire in their premises and put in place, and maintain, adequate and appropriate fire prevention and safety measures to mitigate the risk to life in the event one occurs.
	Fire and rescue authorities have powers to enforce the provisions of the fire safety order in the majority of premises to which it applies in their area. Under the National Framework for Fire and Rescue, each authority is required to determine its own risk-based audit—or inspection—programme for enforcing compliance with its provisions.

Domestic Waste: Waste Disposal

Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what evidential basis he used for each of the myths, numbered 1 to 10, documented in, Guidance on weekly rubbish collections produced by his Department in January 2014.

Brandon Lewis: The document contains endnotes providing primary or third party sources where applicable. It was also drawn up based on the on-the-ground experience learnt from my Department's weekly collection support scheme.
	This is the first ever substantive document produced by a government supporting weekly collections and championing evidence-based best practice. It seeks to challenge the misconceptions and lazy thinking commonly peddled by certain narrow vested interests.

EU Grants and Loans

Andy Sawford: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the policy objectives are of the European Regional Development Fund funding programme for 2014 to 2020.

Brandon Lewis: The objective of the 2014 to 2020 European Regional Development Funds Programme for England is to support smart, sustainable and inclusive growth. The Government is bringing together the European Regional Development Fund, the European Social Fund and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development in a single Growth Programme for England. This funding will be decentralised and delivered through local enterprise partnership areas rather than rigid and arbitrary Government office regions.

Fire Services

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 4 November 2014, Official Report, column 19W, on Fire Service, when the response to the Efficiency and Operational review will be published.

Brandon Lewis: Ministers are currently considering the wide range of issues raised by Sir Ken Knight and the responses from many in the fire and rescue sector to the review. The Government will publish a response in due course.

Homelessness: Sexuality

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what statistics the Government keeps on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender homelessness.

Kris Hopkins: The Government does not collect any statistics on the numbers of lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender people who are homeless.
	The Housing Act 1996 provides that a person has a priority need for accommodation if he or she is vulnerable for any "other special reason". The legislation envisages that vulnerability can arise because of factors that are not expressly provided for in statute. This will include any lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgendered people who are vulnerable as a result of losing their home.

Local Government Finance

Andy Sawford: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  how much council tax support grant has been allocated to town and parish councils in England in (a) 2013-14 and (b) 2014-15;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the proportion of council tax support grant allocated by the Government to town and parish councils that has been passed on to town and parish councils by billing authorities in the latest period for which figures are available;
	(3)  if he will place in the Library any recent correspondence from his Department to billing authorities which make reference to their passing council tax support grant on to town and parish councils.

Brandon Lewis: In 2013-14, the funding provided to local authorities in respect of local council tax support was £3.3 billion. For 2013-14 only, the Government set out an indicative amount of £40,450,000 attributable to parish and town councils in England. Statistics recently published show that 98% of this indicative amount was passed down.
	http://www.local.communities.gov.uk/finance/1314/CTS_models.xls
	I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement of 18 December 2013, Official Report, column 101-104WS, which sets out clearly the Government's intention that the element of localised council tax support funding provided to local authorities which reflects reductions in town and parish tax bases should be passed down to those councils. The Government expects billing authorities to engage in dialogue with their parish and town councils to agree the amount of funding to pass down.
	http://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons-vote-office/December%202013/16%20December/8.%20DCLG%20LG%20Finance.pdf
	I wrote to leaders of all billing authorities on 6 January 2014 on this issue. A copy of this letter has been placed in the Library of the House.

Non-domestic Rates

Robin Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many businesses in (a) Worcester and (b) Worcestershire will qualify for the full £1,000 business rates discount announced in the Autumn Statement of 5 December 2013.

Margot James: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many businesses in (a) the West Midlands, (b) Dudley and (c) Stourbridge constituency will be affected by the proposed £1,000 business rate rebate for any retail premise with a rateable value of under £50,000.

Brandon Lewis: As announced in the autumn statement, the Government is helping local small shops, restaurants and pubs with their business rates, by introducing a £1,000 discount off their bills for the next two years from April 2014. This is part of a package of measures, including the further extension of small business rate relief, a new relief to get empty shops back into use, the ability for firms to pay bills over 12 month instalments to help them with their cash flow, and capping the yearly indexation at 2% this year.
	The discount will apply to eligible businesses with a rateable value of £50,000 or less, and will be delivered by local billing authorities using their Localism Act powers to levy new local discounts. The cost will be met by central Government. Local authorities will locally determine eligibility, given the practical diversity of different types of hereditaments. However, my Department has published guidance to assist local authorities in ensuring that eligible local firms receive the support they deserve. I am placing a copy in the Library of the House.
	While we have made some initial estimates, local authorities will be reporting back to my Department in due course on their estimate of the total amount of discount they expect to give businesses in their areas, and I am happy to commit to placing in the Library of the House a local authority breakdown once that information is available. I hope this will illustrate to hon. Members how this Government is standing up for the local retail and hospitality trade.

Non-domestic Rates

John Stevenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much revenue was raised from commercial rates in 2013.

Brandon Lewis: holding answer 3 February 2014
	Details of the amount of council tax and national non-domestic rates collected in 2012-13 are to be found in tables 5 and 6 of the statistical release ‘Collection rates and receipts of council tax and non-domestic rates in England 2012-13’. This is available on the DCLG website at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/collection-rates-for-council-tax-and-non-domestic-rates-in-england-2012-to-2013
	The tables show the amounts collected both in respect of the current year and previous years but also pre-payments in respect of future years.
	In that year, £22.759 billion was collected in council tax and £21.632 billion collected in business rates.

Private Rented Housing: Construction

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the number of development schemes in England of over 100 units in the private rented sector which are either (a) seeking or (b) have secured planning permission.

Nicholas Boles: Information on the number of development schemes in the private rented sector which are seeking or have secured planning permission is not held centrally.

Role of Local Authorities in Housing Supply Independent Review

Simon Danczuk: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government who will be on the panel of the review into local authorities' role in housing supply in addition to Natalie Elphicke and Councillor Keith House.

Kris Hopkins: Natalie Elphicke and Keith House will consult widely to ensure that the review of local authorities' role in housing supply draws on a broad range of experiences and ideas. However, it is too soon to determine attendance of any panel that may be set up to support the review.

Role of Local Authorities in Housing Supply Independent Review

Simon Danczuk: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the total cost of the review into local authorities' role in housing supply.

Kris Hopkins: The cost of the review into local authorities' role in housing supply will be kept to a minimum. Natalie Elphicke and Keith House will not be paid to lead the review, and will supported by a small group of departmental officials.

Role of Local Authorities in Housing Supply Independent Review

Simon Danczuk: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much Natalie Elphicke and Councillor Keith House will be paid to lead the review of local authorities' role in housing supply.

Kris Hopkins: Natalie Elphicke and Keith House will not be paid to lead the review of local authorities' role in housing supply, but will be reimbursed for travel and expenses.
	To place this in context, under the last Administration, Sir Michael Lyons received almost £400,000 for his review into local government finance.

Travellers: Equality

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will make an assessment of the potential effect on the Government’s equality policies of information from the 2011 census relating to the employment, education and health prospects of Gypsies and Travellers.

Brandon Lewis: holding answer 30 January 2014
	The analysis by the Office for National Statistics ‘What Does the 2011 Census tell us about the characteristics of Gypsy or Irish Travellers in England and Wales?’, which was published on 21 January 2014, provides further evidence of inequalities experienced by Gypsies and Travellers. In 2010 the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, my right hon. Friend the Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr Pickles), established a Ministerial Working Group to look at ways to reduce these inequalities. The Working Group published a progress report in April 2012 which includes 28 commitments from across Government, including commitments relating to employment, education and health. The report also said that the Government intends to produce another report once we have had the opportunity to assess progress in delivering against those commitments.
	The census report also noted that 61% of this section of the population live in a whole house or bungalow, while 24% live in caravans or other mobile or temporary structures. As I indicated in my written statement of 17 January 2014, Official Report, columns 34-5WS, we are currently considering whether the planning definition of “travellers” should more specifically refer to those who actually travel and have a mobile or transitory lifestyle.

EDUCATION

Academies

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what processes he has put in place to enable the Education Funding Agency to scrutinise the finances of academies and free schools.

Edward Timpson: Academies and free schools are subject to higher levels of transparency and scrutiny than local authority maintained schools.
	The Department for Education has put in place a system to scrutinise the finances of academy trusts, including those operating free schools, which reflects their status as companies, charities and public bodies. Because trusts are constituted as companies limited by guarantee, they are subject to the full rigour of the Companies Act. This includes a requirement for the statutory audit of their annual accounts by a registered auditor. They must also comply with the requirements of their funding agreement and the academies financial handbook published by the Education Funding Agency (EFA).
	Trusts are required to provide a number of financial returns to the EFA for scrutiny. They must submit their audited annual accounts, an audited report on regularity of expenditure, statements from the trust’s accounting officer on regularity, propriety and value for money and a budget forecast return. New trusts must also submit a financial management and governance self-assessment shortly after opening.
	The EFA adopts a risk-based approach to reviewing these returns to provide assurance over regularity and to monitor financial health. Action is taken in response to issues or concerns raised by the returns.
	In the event of financial mismanagement at a trust, the EFA may require it to produce a recovery plan. The EFA may also intervene and commission investigations. Trusts that fail can face sanctions under arrangements set out in the financial handbook in the form of a financial notice to improve issued by the EFA. This describes what an academy trust must do to address its failings, and provides a trigger for the suspension of freedoms.

Academies

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many staff at the Education Funding Agency (EFA) have been responsible for the oversight of finances of academies and free schools in each year since the EFA was established.

Edward Timpson: The division responsible for the oversight of the finances of academies within the Education Funding Agency (EFA) is the External Assurance division.
	The headcount for the division is as follows:
	1 April 2012 (creation of the EFA)—39
	1 April 2013—76

Academies: Fraud

David Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when his officials have met (a) Action Fraud and (b) the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau to review and refine the processes for reporting fraud in the last year.

Edward Timpson: The Head of the Department for Education's Internal Audit Investigation Team met with an official of the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau, the body that receives data input by Action Fraud, on 4 December 2013.

Children’s Centres: Greater London

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many Sure Start centres closed in London in each of the last five years.

Elizabeth Truss: As of 30 November 2013, 423 children’s centres that local authorities have designated as statutory children's centres in London were open.
	There were a further 117 sites which were designated as children’s centres in April 2010 that remained open and offering services to families and children as part of a network of children’s centres.
	Since April 2010, information from local authorities shows that 37 have closed. Two new centres have opened.

Defibrillators: Eastleigh

Mike Thornton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many (a) primary schools, (b) secondary schools and (c) further education colleges in Eastleigh constituency have defibrillators installed.

David Laws: The information requested is not held centrally. It is a matter for individual schools to decide whether to have an automatic external defibrillator.

Edapt

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many times Edapt UK Ltd has been referred to in his Department's emails and written correspondence in each of the last 12 months; and how many items of email and written correspondence there have been between his Department and Edapt UK Ltd over the same period.

David Laws: Information regarding the number of references to Edapt UK Ltd in departmental emails and written correspondence, and the number of emails and written correspondence that have been exchanged between the Department for Education and Edapt UK Ltd, in the form requested is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Education: Finance

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 28 January 2014, Official Report, column 122W, on pupils: per capita costs, what funding was allocated to each local authority in each year since 2007-08.

David Laws: The school revenue funding allocations for each local authority in England in each year between financial year 2007-08 and financial year 2012-13 are shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Total allocation (£ million) 
			 Local authority 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 
			 Barking 147.4 155.5 165.0 177.8 192.1 204.6 
			 Barnet 210.5 221.5 231.4 248.2 256.9 265.9 
			 Barnsley 140.5 145.1 149.3 155.9 155.8 157.8 
			 Bath and N.E Somerset 100.8 104.7 109.0 114.9 115.0 116.7 
			 Bedford Borough1 — — 108.5 116.0 118.0 122.0 
			 Bedfordshire1 249.2 260.1 — — — — 
			 Bexley 164.7 171.7 178.9 188.6 192.0 196,5 
			 Birmingham 849.8 884.7 920.7 972.5 1,004.9 1,040.7 
			 Blackburn with Darwen 120.6 125.6 129.1 135.1 136.9 139.4 
			 Blackpool 92.6 96.4 98.9 103.3 102.9 105.3 
			 Bolton 191.2 199.2 206.7 217.3 221.7 228.3 
			 Bournemouth 82.8 85.8 89.6 94.2 96.0 98.6 
			 Bracknell Forest 62.9 66.0 69.3 74.2 75.7 78.0 
			 Bradford 369.9 388.0 405.9 431.5 443.9 460.1 
			 Brent 202.1 217.0 227.3 242.3 254.5 263.8 
			 Brighton and Hove 133.2 138.8 145.6 154.4 158.0 162.1 
			 Bristol 220.0 228.7 237.5 251.1 264.1 273.2 
			 Bromley 188.3 196.8 205.9 216.8 222.0 226.6 
			 Buckinghamshire 299.2 313.2 327.3 347.2 348.5 355.2 
			 Bury 118.6 122.8 127.9 134.8 136.1 139.9 
			 Calderdale 140.7 146.9 153.3 163.4 164.6 168.6 
			 Cambridgeshire 317.7 333.1 348.6 369.4 371.1 379.3 
			 Camden 136.1 141.6 148.2 157.3 158.5 161.6 
		
	
	
		
			 Central Bedfordshire1 — — 164.0 172.0 174.3 177.6 
			 Cheshire East1 — — 221.6 233.0 233.9 236.7 
			 Cheshire West and Chester1 — — 216.6 226.6 227.5 229.4 
			 Cheshire1 411.2 425.0 — — — — 
			 City of London 2.2 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.4 2.4 
			 Cornwall 289.7 301.2 314.3 326.7 327.5 333.2 
			 Coventry 211.3 220.1 229.6 242.7 249.8 257.6 
			 Croydon 226.8 233.1 242.3 254.2 265.6 276.9 
			 Cumbria 299.9 307.2 315.1 326.1 325.0 326.6 
			 Darlington 64.4 64.8 67.9 71.5 72.0 73.4 
			 Derby City 161.6 167.7 175.0 184.5 186.9 192.3 
			 Derbyshire 450.5 472.6 485.3 503.2 500.1 504.6 
			 Devon 381.9 396.6 414.4 436.1 435.6 441.4 
			 Doncaster 193.0 199.4 204.0 212.6 214.3 218.0 
			 Dorset 220.2 226.6 235.4 247.2 248.1 251.5 
			 Dudley 209.2 215.7 222.5 234.6 233.6 237.2 
			 Durham 314.3 326.6 336.2 348.5 349.4 355.4 
			 Ealing 215.0 225.1 236.8 255.7 266.4 278.2 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 190.0 195.7 202.8 213.1 212.1 214.3 
			 East Sussex 284.4 293.4 306.1 321.7 324.0 330.1 
			 Enfield 230.5 240.5 250.1 265.3 279.3 289.6 
			 Essex 828.3 862.0 892.4 934.8 945.2 963.4 
			 Gateshead 118.3 122.0 126.2 131.9 132.6 134.5 
			 Gloucestershire 337.2 355.6 367.8 382.5 382.4 387.4 
			 Greenwich 197.0 204.8 213.3 224.1 230.7 237.5 
			 Hackney 172.0 177.0 184.6 194.1 202.8 213.2 
			 Halton 88.6 91.5 93.9 98.8 100.7 102.4 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 95.8 98.3 103.1 111.4 115.2 118.9 
			 Hampshire 723.1 755.0 784.5 824.1 827.3 841.0 
			 Haringey 181.6 189.1 194.8 205.9 213.8 220.1 
			 Harrow 142.5 149.0 155.6 165.0 171.9 178.0 
			 Hartlepool 68.4 69.7 71.2 75.0 75.6 76.3 
			 Havering 159.3 166.1 174.0 183.0 187.1 189.5 
			 Herefordshire 96.5 99.6 102.9 108.1 108.2 110.0 
			 Hertfordshire 672.3 704.7 741.2 782.8 790.9 807.1 
			 Hillingdon 180.2 188.3 198.9 211.8 219.3 227.3 
			 Hounslow 168.4 176.0 183.8 195.6 204.1 213.3 
			 Isle of Wight 81.7 82.8 85.4 89.0 88.6 89.1 
			 Isles of Scilly 2.6 2.7 2.8 3.0 3.0 3.0 
			 Islington 142.5 144.6 149.1 157.2 163.5 166.5 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 68.1 70.3 72.9 78.1 80.8 82.5 
			 Kent 858.3 885.4 922.9 970.6 983.4 1,003.0 
			 Kingston Upon Thames 88.3 92.1 97.8 105.2 108.8 112.1 
			 Kingston-upon-Hull 171.7 176.6 179.7 186.9 189.3 192.9 
			 Kirklees 270.2 283.9 297.7 313.1 314.4 321.4 
			 Knowsley 112.6 114.7 116.6 120.8 119.8 119.9 
			 Lambeth 185.0 197.6 209.1 222.2 232.1 241.6 
			 Lancashire 729.4 749.2 773.7 809.7 816.0 831.0 
			 Leeds 441.5 462.8 479.8 502.8 511.5 526.4 
			 Leicester City 213.9 222.9 231.4 244.8 250.5 257.9 
			 Leicestershire 352.3 370.3 386.2 404.4 405.0 410.9 
			 Lewisham 194.3 199.2 207.3 221.4 234.0 243.8 
			 Lincolnshire 414.7 431.9 447.8 469.1 472.7 478.8 
			 Liverpool 308.4 316.8 326.5 334.6 335.6 340.8 
			 Luton 147.8 152.0 161.1 170.1 175.2 181.1 
			 Manchester 325.5 335.3 346.4 366.7 385.2 403-1 
			 Medway 180.5 185.6 191.5 199.2 200.5 205.6 
			 Merton 101.9 106.0 112.0 120.7 125.1 132.1 
			 Middlesbrough 91.0 92.0 95.8 99.8 101.7 103.2 
			 Milton Keynes 158.9 170.2 180.0 192.7 199.0 206.4 
		
	
	
		
			 Newcastle Upon Tyne 159.2 164.2 168.9 179.9 182.9 187.8 
			 Newham 271.8 286.9 300.9 319.2 331.7 350.0 
			 Norfolk 458.9 476.8 494.4 517.8 521.1 530.7 
			 North East Lincolnshire 107.3 105.6 108.6 110.9 109.5 109.6 
			 North Lincolnshire 104.1 107.0 110.4 116.1 116.9 118.1 
			 North Somerset 113.6 119.3 124.7 132.3 133.5 136.0 
			 North Tyneside 119.7 123.3 127.3 134.4 135.8 138.4 
			 North Yorkshire 342.3 354.6 367.5 384.3 382.7 385.7 
			 Northamptonshire 409.4 429.9 446.2 469.1 477.4 488.3 
			 Northumberland 188.2 192.0 198.0 203.5 204.5 206.1 
			 Nottingham City 182.1 189.7 195.4 202.6 211.5 219.6 
			 Nottinghamshire 460.9 476.9 492.3 515.7 516.5 524.6 
			 Oldham 178.5 186.6 195.1 205.2 208.7 214.5 
			 Oxfordshire 339.3 350.9 370.6 393.0 398.7 408.3 
			 Peterborough 123.0 127.5 134.0 141.5 146.3 154.6 
			 Plymouth 153.9 159.2 163.7 172.1 175.0 178.9 
			 Poole 72.5 75.5 78.6 82.3 84.1 85.3 
			 Portsmouth 111.9 115.2 119.0 124.7 127.7 130.8 
			 Reading 72.7 75.7 80.4 86.0 88.7 93.1 
			 Redbridge 186.6 197.6 210.8 226.9 238.0 245.8 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 100.5 103.3 106.2 109.4 109.0 109.6 
			 Richmond Upon Thames 95.2 100.8 105.6 112.1 117.1 120.7 
			 Rochdale 154.5 158.8 165.1 171.8 172.6 176.8 
			 Rotherham 190.4 196.5 202.6 210.8 211.5 216.2 
			 Rutland 21.4 22.2 23.4 24.8 24.7 24.9 
			 Salford 148.2 152.0 158.8 164.7 167.9 175.0 
			 Sandwell 216.9 220.5 229.7 242.7 248.2 256.5 
			 Sefton 179.1 182.9 188.1 195.4 195.5 196.9 
			 Sheffield 309.2 324.9 336.0 351.5 353.3 363.3 
			 Shropshire 158.5 163.6 169.5 178.5 178.3 179.7 
			 Slough 95.8 104.4 111.4 120.5 126.3 131.8 
			 Solihull 134.6 140.5 145.9 153.0 155.5 159.4 
			 Somerset 289.1 305.1 314.6 326.7 325.4 329.4 
			 South Gloucestershire 151.9 156.4 162.3 171.1 171.3 172.7 
			 South Tyneside 102.9 105.5 108.1 111.7 111.1 112.0 
			 Southampton 129.4 134.1 138.7 144.7 149.7 154.4 
			 Southend-on-Sea 114.2 117.9 123.2 128.9 130.3 133.9 
			 Southwark 196.4 195.0 200.8 215.6 225.0 235.9 
			 St Helens 116.2 120.1 123.3 126.4 127.3 129.1 
			 Staffordshire 484.2 500.3 516.9 542.8 543.0 550.8 
			 Stockport 164.5 168.7 174.7 184.2 185.3 188.1 
			 Stockton-on-Tees 126.1 130.5 133.9 140.0 141.1 144.4 
			 Stoke-on-Trent 160.2 164.8 169.3 178.6 181.4 187.7 
			 Suffolk 391.1 405.9 421.3 445.3 448.2 457.7 
			 Sunderland 183.0 188.9 192.8 197.9 199.3 201.5 
			 Surrey 583.7 611.1 640.5 682.1 693.9 707.9 
			 Sutton 128.5 134.8 141.5 150.2 154.4 159.0 
			 Swindon 117.9 122.1 128.8 136.9 139.8 144.5 
			 Tameside 1.51.9 156.5 161.0 168.1 170.1 173.6 
			 Telford and Wrekin 107.5 112.9 115.9 120.4 120.4 122.6 
			 Thurrock 101.4 107.0 111.7 117.6 120.5 125.2 
			 Torbay 75.7 78.4 80.8 85.2 85.7 87.4 
			 Tower Hamlets 252.2 262.5 274.4 294.2 305.6 314.2 
			 Trafford 138.6 147.5 155.6 166.2 167.1 171.4 
			 Wakefield 207.2 212.3 218.8 232.3 234.3 238.9 
			 Walsall 195.1 201.6 208.0 219.1 221.9 226.5 
			 Waltham Forest 178.9 186.8 196.7 209.5 220.5 229.3 
			 Wandsworth 155.6 162.7 170.7 182.4 185.8 190.5 
			 Warrington 125.6 130.5 135.6 142.6 143.6 146.4 
			 Warwickshire 304.7 315.3 329.6 346.9 348.1 353.8 
			 West Berkshire 100.1 104.5 109.3 115.2 116.1 117.5 
		
	
	
		
			 West Sussex 430.1 446.0 464.7 490.4 496.8 506.8 
			 Westminster 105.2 107.4 112.1 121.1 126.3 130.2 
			 Wigan 202.1 208.3 214.8 226.0 225.6 229.7 
			 Wiltshire 258.5 268.6 280.4 294.9 296.8 301.4 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead 79.9 82.3 86.6 92.7 95.4 98.3 
			 Wirral 210.1 215.9 222.5 232.6 235.4 236.1 
			 Wokingham 90.7 94.5 99.4 105.3 106.8 109.2 
			 Wolverhampton 171.1 178.7 184.0 190.6 192.1 198.0 
			 Worcestershire 309.2 324.8 335.6 350.3 349.4 353.8 
			 York 94.4 98.3 101.8 107.8 107.6 109.5 
			        
			 England total 32,211.1 33,460.1 34,777.3 36,601.8 37,169.9 38,039.0 
			 1 From 2009-10; Bedfordshire County Council was replaced by Bedford Borough and Central Bedfordshire; Cheshire County Council was replaced by Cheshire East and Cheshire West and Chester. 
		
	
	These allocations include funding provided for pupils in reception classes, but the allocations are not apportioned to specific year groups within the totals. Up to 2010-11 the allocations in the table include the Dedicated Schools Grant, Standards Fund Grants and School Standards Grants. In 2011-12 funding previously allocated through Standards Fund and Schools Standards Grants was added to the Dedicated Schools Grant. From 2011-12 the allocations include the Dedicated Schools Grant and the Pupil Premium. Allocations for the Dedicated Schools Grant include allocations for pupils in schools that have converted to academy status since 2008. The Pupil Premium allocations include pupils in all academies.

Education: Finance

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education for how many institutions the Education Funding Agency has exercised its responsibility for financial oversight in each year of its operation.

Edward Timpson: The following table shows how many institutions the Education Funding Agency has exercised financial oversight in each year of its operation:
	
		
			  Number of open academies (including free schools, studio schools and university technical colleges) Number of sixth form colleges 
			 31 March 2012 1,664 94 
			 31 March 2013 2,823 94 
			 1 January 2014 3,835 93

Education: Fraud

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what processes he has put in place to enable a whistleblower to generate an Education Funding Agency investigation into alleged financial impropriety.

Edward Timpson: The Department for Education has put in place a complaints procedure on its website, which sets out the means by which a complaint can be made to the Department. This includes what to do in the event of concerns about financial irregularity or impropriety. It explains that all concerns relating to Education Funding Agency (EFA) funded organisations are taken seriously. It states that an investigation will be opened in cases where concerns have been raised in good faith and there is sufficient evidence to support them. A link to the complaints procedure is provided here:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-education/about/complaints-procedure
	The Academies Financial Handbook makes clear that academy trusts should ensure they have appropriate procedures in place for whistleblowing, including making sure that all staff are aware to who they can report their concerns and the way in which such concerns will be treated.

Free Schools

David Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what guidance his Department has issued in the past to potential free school applicants on the freehold and leasehold of school sites.

Edward Timpson: We have not issued guidance to potential free school applicants on the freehold and leasehold of school sites. The current guidance for potential free school applicants can be found at:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/leadership/typesofschools/freeschools/b00222064/apply

Further Education: Finance

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many care leavers will be affected by the reduction in funding of 18 year olds announced by the Education Funding Agency.

Matthew Hancock: The Education Funding Agency (EFA) does not hold data on care leavers by age. The EFA has recently published an impact analysis of the reduction in funding of 18-year-olds, which is available on the Department for Education's website at:
	http://media.education.gov.uk/assets/files/pdf/i/impact%20 assessment.pdf

Further Education: Finance

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what measures he is considering to mitigate the effects of the reduction in the funding of 18 year olds announced by the Education Funding Agency.

Matthew Hancock: The Department for Education is looking at various measures that would mitigate the impact for those institutions worst affected by the proposed funding reduction for 18-year-olds as we assess funding for institutions in the academic year 2014/15. As usual, this will be based on student numbers from the current academic year, so we will not have firm figures until the end of February.

Grandparents

Margot James: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the adequacy of grandparents' current rights of access to their grandchildren; and if he will bring forward legislative proposals to strengthen such rights.

Edward Timpson: The Government recognises that grandparents can play a very important role in children's lives. While there is no automatic right for grandparents to have contact with a child, they may apply for contact through the courts in cases where agreement cannot be reached within the family itself. The court will take into account the circumstances of each individual case and will make a contact order if it decides that it is in the child's best interests to have contact with the applicant. However, the Children Act 1989 requires that the court's paramount consideration in making such decisions must be the welfare of the child; the Government has no plans to change this fundamental principle.
	Wherever possible and appropriate, the Government wants families to resolve disputes without court intervention, and we are improving the advice and support to help them do so. As part of the dispute resolution process, parents will be encouraged to focus on the needs of their child, including the importance to the child of ongoing relationships with grandparents.

Kings Science Academy

David Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether his Department considered purchasing the freehold for the Lidget Green site of the Kings Science Academy.

Edward Timpson: Yes.

Pensions

Michael McCann: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what effect changes in pension contributions have had on the take-home pay of officials of his Department at (a) AA, (b) AO and LO2, (c) EO and LO1, (d) HEO, (e) SEO, (f) 7 and (g) SCS grades and equivalents since May 2010.

Elizabeth Truss: Lord Hutton outlined in his report the strong case for changing public sector pensions, saying in his report
	"these costs have generally fallen to the taxpayer".
	The Commission reached the conclusion that
	"if the Government wishes to make savings in the short-term it will be more effective to increase member contributions rather than alter the benefit structure".
	Contributions were increased in April 2012, April 2013 and will be increased again in April 2014. The increases were tiered by salary, so that higher earners pay a larger percentage point increase than lower earners. A number of protections were introduced alongside the contribution increases, including:
	1. Those earning less than £15,000 (full-time equivalent rate) will pay nothing extra.
	2. Those earning up to £21,000 (full-time equivalent) will pay no more than an extra 1.5% of their pay in total by 2014-15.
	3. Higher earners will pay extra, but no more than 5.35% of their total pay by 2014-15.
	The following tables show the salary bands for staff in the Department for Education for each financial year since May 2010. Table 1 shows the salary bands for staff who are based outside of London and Table 2 shows the salary bands for staff based in London. Salary bands for the senior civil service are set centrally by the Cabinet Office.
	
		
			 Table 1. Salary bands for each financial year since 2010 for those staff based outside of London 
			 £ 
			 Grade 2010/11 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 
			 Executive Assistant 17,304-17,829 17,554-18,079 17,804-18,329 18,104-18,629 
			 Executive Officer 21,916-23,702 21,916-23,702 21,916-23,702 22,216-24,002 
			 Higher Executive Officer 26,800-29,650 26,800-29,650 26,800-29,650 27,100-29,950 
			 Senior Executive Officer 33,200-36,862 33,200-36,862 33,200-36,862 33,569-37,232 
			 Grade 7 45,300-53,222 45,300-53,222 45,300-53,222 45,832-53,755 
			 Grade 6 55,431-65,187 55,431-65,187 55,431-65,187 56,083-65,839 
			 Payband 1, Deputy Director 58,200-117,800 58,200-117,800 58,200-117,800 60,000-117,800 
			 Payband 2, Director 82,900-162,500 82,900-162,500 82,900-162,500 84,000-162,500 
			 Director General, Payband 3 101,500-208,100 101,500-208,100 101,500-208,100 103,000-208,100 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 2. Salary bands for each financial year since 2010 for those staff based in London1 
			 £ 
			 Grade 2010/11 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 
			 Executive Assistant 20,881-21,529 21,131-21,779 21,250-22,329 21,550-22,629 
			 Executive Officer 25,287-27,402 25,287-27,402 25,287-27,402 25,587-27,702 
			 Higher Executive Officer 30,100-33,350 30,100-33,350 30,100-33,350 30,434-33,684 
			 Senior Executive Officer 36,700-40,863 36,700-40,863 36,700-40,863 37,109-41,272 
			 Grade 7 48,675-57,222 48,675-57,222 48,675-57,222 49,247-57,795 
			 Grade 6 58,470-69,187 58,470-69,187 58,470-69,187 59,162-69,879 
			 1 There are no separate paybands for senior civil servants who are based in London 
		
	
	Cabinet Office's answer to PQ 185222 provides information about how the take home pay of those with different levels of salaries is affected by the pension contribution increases.

Primary Education

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will categorise the reception class in primary schools as part of key stage 1.

Elizabeth Truss: The Government consulted last year on a new accountability system for primary schools to raise expectations that no child should fall behind and every child should reach their potential. We proposed to introduce a baseline measure at the start of reception so schools are held to account for pupil progress including in the key year of reception. We will be responding to that consultation shortly.
	As my hon. Friend is aware, the national curriculum is currently not mandatory in academies and free schools, but the early years foundation stage is.

Private Education: Offences against Children

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he is taking to better highlight past abuse of children in independent boarding schools.

Edward Timpson: We are aware of the allegations of historic cases of abuse at a number of independent schools. Investigations of these are a matter for the police and other local agencies to pursue on a case-by-case basis.
	We take safeguarding and child protection very seriously, and have been reforming the current system to ensure that it works in the best interests of children and minimises the risk of abuse in schools. The statutory guidance, “Working Together to Safeguard Children”, revised in March 2013, put in place a very clear framework for all who work with children, and we do not believe there is any excuse for a school to not have a clear idea of the structures, policies and procedures needed.

Pupils: Bullying

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will make an assessment of the effect of recent public debate on immigration on the incidence of racist bullying of schoolchildren.

Elizabeth Truss: The Department for Education does not routinely collect information about the prevalence of racist bullying so it is not possible to make a direct causal link between the recent public debate on immigration and the incidence of racist bullying of school children. UK and international research studies show wide variation in the likely prevalence of all types of bullying, ranging from 69% to a more moderate 21%. While this variation can in part be attributed to different survey methodologies and research questions, it is more likely to reflect variation in individual perceptions of what constitutes bullying.
	The Government has made clear to schools that all forms of bullying, for whatever reason, should never be tolerated in schools. All schools must have a behaviour policy with measures to prevent and tackle all forms of bullying, including racist bullying. Schools are held to account by Ofsted for the behaviour and safety of their pupils and Ofsted inspectors consider pupils behaviour towards, and respect for, other young people and adults.
	The new programmes of study, which will come into force in schools from September 2014 for citizenship, history and geography, provide varied opportunities for pupils to learn about different cultures and religions which will help foster tolerance and harmony among young people.

Pupils: Tagging

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  what guidance his Department has issued to (a) schools and (b) local authorities on the use of radio-frequency identification technology (RFID) with a Real Time Location System (RTLS) in schools for (i) tracking children and (ii) tagging equipment; if he will place in the Library a copy of such guidance; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what (a) discussions and (b) correspondence his Department has had with the Information Commissioner's office on the compatibility of radio-frequency identification technology with a Real Time Location System in schools and the Data Protection Act 1988 in the last three years.

Elizabeth Truss: The Department for Education has not issued guidance or made contact with the Information Commissioner's Office on the use of radio-frequency identification technology (RFID) with a Real Time Location System (RTLS) in schools.

Science: Teachers

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many (a) mathematics, (b) physics, (c) chemistry and (d) biology teachers there are in each local authority area.

David Laws: The information requested for each local authority area could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Special Educational Needs

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  whether information from the Autism Act 2009 statutory guidance will be included in the final Special Educational Needs Code of Practice;
	(2)  whether the final Special Educational Needs Code of Practice will refer to National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance on assessment and diagnosis of autism;
	(3)  if his Department will work with (a) the National Autistic Society and (b) other disability charities to ensure that educational needs of children and young people with specific impairments are fully reflected in the description of special educational need in the final Special Educational Needs Code of Practice.

Edward Timpson: The Department for Education recently consulted publicly on a draft Special Educational Needs (SEN) Code of Practice. Revisions are being made to the Code of Practice to take account of developments during the passage of the Children and Families Bill and responses to the consultation, which were from a wide range of organisations in the statutory and voluntary and community sectors, including those in the SEN and disability field. We will continue to work with those who must have regard to the Code of Practice and those who support children, young people and families as this is taken forward.
	Once this work is completed a revised Code of Practice will be placed before both Houses of Parliament for approval.

Special Educational Needs

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the need to conduct a review into the feasibility of the single point of appeal for education, health and care plans.

Edward Timpson: Government amendments to the Children and Families Bill were tabled on 31 January providing for a review of the redress and complaint arrangements across education, health and social care for children and young people with special educational needs and, as part of the review, pilots to test whether the First-tier Tribunal (Special Educational Needs and Disability) could make recommendations about the health and social care provision set out in Education, Health and Care plans.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Afghanistan

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the funding streams his Department has to the Afghan Government; what the purposes are for the funding in each case; what steps he is taking to ensure that such funds are used by the Afghans for the intended purposes; and if he will make a statement.

Hugh Robertson: Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) funding to the Afghan Government comes from both the Conflict Pool and FCO’s Strategic Programme Fund. This takes the form of contributions to multilateral trust funds; bilateral financial support; and provision of expert assistance to individual departments. FCO funding is directed at supporting progress towards a political settlement, building a viable Afghan state and supporting security infrastructure.
	The FCO and its partners work rigorously to ensure funds are used for the intended purposes and external evaluation is used where possible. Where funding is in partnership with international organisations such as the UN, they provide independent oversight and assurance. In addition, the presence of UK funded advisers within line Ministries allows for further assurance.

Business: Human Rights

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with EU counterparts about the Government's action plan on business and human rights.

David Lidington: We have promoted the UK's Action Plan with EU counterparts on a number of occasions, both formal and informal, including in EU meetings and at the UN Forum on Business and Human Rights in Geneva last December. The UK has been widely recognised as a leader in this area, as the first country to produce a National Action Plan and a number of EU member states have sought our advice for the development of their own strategies. We have regularly raised the importance of Business and Human Rights in discussions with EU partners and will continue to look for opportunities to do so.

China

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many representations he has received since 2010 from (a) the BBC and (b) other broadcasters about the Chinese Government's blocking of BBC television and radio content.

Hugo Swire: The BBC World Service has made no formal representations to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), nor formally requested our assistance, regarding Chinese Government blocking of BBC television and radio content. We are not aware of any other representations from other broadcasters.

Conferences

Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many international summits he attended in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012; what the cost to the public purse was of his attendance at each such summit; and what his carbon footprint was in travelling to each such summit.

David Lidington: The list of overseas engagements attended by the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), which includes international summits, and the associated cost, is published every quarter on www.gov.uk
	In addition to those, the Secretary of State has also hosted and attended international summits in the UK, such as the Cyber Conference and London Conference on Somalia.
	It is not possible to answer the question in full as information on carbon footprint in travelling to each summit is not held centrally and to collate it would incur disproportionate cost.

Electronic Surveillance

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on how many occasions the Director of Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), or other GCHQ staff acting on his behalf, has requested ministerial authorisation to approve GCHQ reading the content of e-mails gathered as part of general metadata collection since May 2010; and on how many occasions such requests were turned down.

Hugh Robertson: It is the long-standing policy of successive Governments not to comment on matters of intelligence.

European External Action Service

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 24 January 2014, Official Report, column 340W, on EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, on what date he used the aeroplane charted by the European External Action Service; and for what purpose.

David Lidington: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), used an aeroplane chartered by the European External Action Service (EEAS) on a return flight from Tunisia after a 'Friends of Syria' meeting in the February 2012. This was at no cost to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Iran

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 27 January 2014, Official Report, column 428W, on Iran, what representations he has made to his Iranian counterpart about recent remarks that the P5+1 are misrepresenting Iran’s commitments under the Joint Plan of Action.

Hugh Robertson: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), discussed the entry into force of the Geneva agreement with Foreign Minister Zarif on 21 January. The E3 plus 3 and Iran reached an agreement on implementation of the Geneva deal on 12 January. This makes very clear the obligations of the parties.

Iran

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 27 January 2014, Official Report, column 428W, on Iran, what measures the Iranian authorities need to take to ensure the exclusively peaceful nature of its nuclear programme.

Hugh Robertson: To ensure the exclusively peaceful nature of its nuclear programme, Iran must take action on all of the key elements of its nuclear programme that represent a proliferation risk. This includes addressing concerns about the fuel cycle (enrichment levels, capacity and stockpile), heavy water-related activity, research and development as well as agreeing to enhanced monitoring and verification measures (including ratifying the additional protocol). The steps Iran has taken under the Joint Plan of Action, which came into force on 20 January, are an important first step. But Iran needs to take further significant and sustained steps before the international community can have full confidence in the exclusively peaceful nature of its nuclear programme.

Iran

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on Iran’s possession of advanced IR-1 centrifuges.

Hugh Robertson: The IAEA’s November 2013 report on Iran’s nuclear programme to the Board of Governors verified that Iran currently has 18,458 IR-1 centrifuges installed for uranium enrichment. Only around half of these are currently operating. Under the Joint Plan of Action, which came into force on 20 January 2014, Iran has agreed not to make any further advances in its activities at the Natanz Fuel Enrichment Plant and Fordow. This includes not installing further centrifuges; bringing into operation any centrifuges installed but not being used to enrich; and limiting production to replacement of failed machines.

Iran

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether IAEA inspectors will be granted access to Iran’s Parchin facility under the P5+1-Iran Joint Plan of Action.

Hugh Robertson: The Joint Plan of Action does not grant IAEA inspectors access to the Parchin military base. This issue is being discussed as part of the IAEA’s separate discussions with Iran on the possible military dimensions to Iran’s nuclear programme. We welcome the recent signature of a Joint Statement on a Framework for Co-operation between Iran and the IAEA and hope that this will soon include allowing the agency access to Parchin.

Pakistan

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations the Government has made to the government of Pakistan on the decision of the Federal Shariat Court in Pakistan to order the government there to implement death as the only penalty for blasphemy.

Hugh Robertson: It is our long standing policy to oppose the death penalty in all circumstances. The Prime Minister reiterated this to the House during questions on 29 January. Ministers regularly raise the issue of the death penalty in Pakistan at the highest levels both in terms of our principled stance and in supporting cases of British nationals facing the death penalty overseas. We also continue to regularly raise the issue of the blasphemy laws at a senior level with the authorities in Pakistan. The Senior Minister of State, my noble Friend the right hon. Baroness Warsi most recently raised our opposition to the death penalty with the Chief Minister of the Punjab on 27 January.

Pay

Michael McCann: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  what effect changes in pension contributions have had on the take-home pay of officials at AO, LO2 and equivalent grades in his Department compared to May 2010;
	(2)  what effect changes in pension contributions have had on the take-home pay of officials at AA and equivalent grades in his Department compared to May 2010;
	(3)  what effect changes in pension contributions have had on the take-home pay of officials at EO, LO1 and equivalent grades in his Department compared to May 2010.

Hugh Robertson: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Minister for Civil Society, my hon. Friend the Member for Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner (Mr Hurd), today.
	This Cabinet Office answer to UIN 185222 provides information about how the take home pay of those with different levels of salaries is affected by the pension contribution increases.

Press Freedom

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many representations have been made by (a) officials and (b) Ministers to foreign governments since 2010 about freedom of expression in the media.

David Lidington: Freedom of expression is an essential element of democracy and human rights, and one of the key human rights priorities at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO). All Ministers regularly engage bilaterally on freedom of expression, and raise individual cases when appropriate.
	We are unable to provide details of the precise number of representations made to foreign Governments since 2010. This information is not held centrally and can be collated only at disproportionate costs. More information about the FCO's representations on freedom of expression will be available in this year's Annual Human Rights Report, to be published on 10 April 2014.

Procurement

Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proportion of his Department's overall procurement spend for each of the last three financial years was spent (a) in joint procurement exercises with other Departments and (b) shared between different organisations within the same Department group.

David Lidington: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) is committed to working collaboratively with other Government Departments. The FCO has several shared contracts. Notable examples are for the movement of personal effects overseas with Pickfords Move Management Limited, and the FCO language school via Language Services Direct. These are opened to as many Government Departments as possible. It is not possible to answer the question in full as this information is not held centrally and to collate it would incur disproportionate cost.

Procurement

Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs for each of the last three financial years how much and what proportion of his Department's procurement was conducted using e-procurement tools; and what the value of such contracts was.

David Lidington: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office uses a number of e-procurement tools ranging from G-cloud to online mini-competition via the Government Procurement Service frameworks. However, relevant spend data categorised by procurement channel is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Re-employment

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many staff who have been made redundant or retired from his Department have subsequently been re-employed by his Department since May 2010.

Hugh Robertson: I have set out here the details for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. This information is current as of 31 December 2013.
	May 2010 to December 2013
	Number of employees made redundant then re-employed: 0
	Number of employees who retired then re-employed: 14
	Total: 14.
	Data are taken from the FCO HR database on 31 December 2013. The individuals have been recruited to undertake specialist roles, for example reviewing FCO archives.
	It should be noted that:
	Staff re-employed within 28 days of being made redundant will have repaid their entire redundancy package;
	Staff re-employed within six months of being made redundant since December 2010 will have had to repay part of their compensation;
	Staff re-employed following retirement will have their pension abated so that the total value of their pension and new salary will be the same as their salary before retirement; and
	The FCO along with the rest of the civil service does not operate a compulsory age retirement policy and has not done so since March 2010.
	The Government reformed the Compensation Scheme in 2010 so as to reduce costs and to require the recovery of compensation payments where staff are dismissed and re-employed. Across Government, savings from work force reductions have resulted in savings of £2.2 billion compared to 2009-10.

Russia

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions his Department has had with the Russian authorities about (a) security against terrorism and (b) human rights at the Winter Olympics.

David Lidington: The information requested is as follows:
	(a) We are in regular contact with the Russian authorities and are working with them on their preparations for the Sochi Winter Olympics and Paralympics, including security issues. We continually review the security situation and update our travel advice for British nationals accordingly.
	(b) The promotion and protection of human rights continues to be a key priority in our relationship with Russia. We regularly make clear to Russia that human rights are universal and should apply equally to all. We have also expressed our concerns regarding recent legislation prohibiting the promotion of “non-traditional sexual relations” among minors. We work to improve the situation on the ground by supporting relevant projects and the development of civil society in Russia. We are working with the International Olympic Committee and British Olympic Association to ensure the Winter Games take place in the spirit of the Olympic Charter and are free from discrimination.

South Sudan

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the South Sudanese Government about persecuted religious groups.

Mark Simmonds: We are not aware of evidence that religious groups have been targeted during the recent outbreak of violence in South Sudan, or of any significant religious persecution in the country previously. However we have been deeply concerned about the level of inter-communal violence that has taken place, often with an ethnic dimension. Religious leaders have an important role to play in calming tensions and promoting reconciliation.

South Sudan

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment the Government has made of the political stability of South Sudan.

Mark Simmonds: We welcome the signing of a cessation of hostilities agreement in Addis Ababa on 23 January 2014, although it is clear that this is only the beginning of the peace process. More than half a million South Sudanese have been displaced from their homes and they and many others are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance. There has not yet been a full end to fighting on the ground. We are urging all sides to ensure that their forces put down their weapons immediately.
	We are continuing to engage with both parties to facilitate dialogue, in support of mediation by the regional Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD), and in close coordination with partners in the European Union and the Troika. We are also providing a supporting role in establishment of the IGAD-led monitoring mechanism which is intended to oversee the implementation of the cessation of hostilities. During my meetings with Ethiopian, Kenyan, Sudanese, Ugandan and South Sudanese Foreign Ministers, I made clear that the cessation of hostilities must lead to a genuinely inclusive political reconciliation process that strengthens the unity of South Sudan. We are ready to support this process fully when talks resume on 7 February 2014.

South Sudan

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps she is taking to maintain the recent ceasefire in South Sudan.

Mark Simmonds: The recently signed Cessation of Hostilities Agreement provides for a monitoring and verification mechanism to oversee its implementation, which will be formed under the leadership of the regional Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD), with broader international participation. With our Troika partners, we have been supporting the establishment of this mechanism, and we have provided an expert to the advance party of the ceasefire oversight committee ("Joint Technical Committee") which arrived in Juba on 2 February 2014.
	We continue to engage diplomatically with all partners and in the region to encourage respect for the cessation of hostilities, and to establish a political process to reach a full peace agreement. I held discussions on these matters with the South Sudanese Foreign Minister and a wide range of regional leaders during the recent African Union summit, including raising with the Foreign Minister of Uganda the role of those Ugandan troops who have been fighting alongside South Sudanese forces.

Staff

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many personnel of each grade are employed in his Department's Devolution Unit; and what the total cost of the unit to the public purse has been since its creation.

David Lidington: The Devolution Unit was established in September 2012 to make it easier for the Devolved Administrations to interact with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), and to advise FCO posts on the devolution settlement. It consists of two officers of B3 and C5 grade. The pay range of a B3 officer is between £21,646 and £27,658. The pay range of a C5 officer is between £33,075 and £40,905,

PRIME MINISTER

Chiefs of Staff

David Davis: To ask the Prime Minister if he will publish the minutes of any meetings between him and the Chief of Defence Staff which took place in his constituency between 11 May 2010 and 31 May 2011.

David Cameron: I refer my right hon. Friend to the answer I gave to him on 17 January 2014, Official Report, column 725W.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Parliamentary Tours

Nigel Evans: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, representing the House of Commons Commission, how many tours of the Palace of Westminster were conducted by Blue Badge guides in each year since 2011; and how many such tours have been so allocated for 2014.

John Thurso: The following table details the number of paid-for tours of the Palace of Westminster visitor route for the last three financial years (including a forecast for remainder of 2013-14), with a forecast for 2014-15.
	
		
			  2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 Forecast 2014-15 
			 Number of guided tours 8,520 8,892 9,578 5,244 
		
	
	The increase in 2013-14 is largely due to the extension of paid-for tours to the December and February recesses.
	The forecast reduction in 2014-15 is largely due to the forthcoming introduction of audio guided tours alongside guided tours, in line with the policy of offering paying visitors a richer range of tours at different prices.

Parliamentary Tours

Nigel Evans: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross representing, the House of Commons Commission, what recent discussions the Commission has had on the fact that Palace of Westminster guides conduct Royalty and Splendour, and Tactile tours but are excluded from other non-Member tours.

John Thurso: The Commission has not discussed this specific point, but in July 2012 agreed to increase the number and range of tours that were available to paying visitors, including specialist tours and the introduction of audio-guided tours alongside guided tours.
	In-house guides conduct Member-sponsored tours of the Palace of Westminster visitor route, including the new tactile tours for blind and partially-sighted visitors. They have also piloted the ‘specialist’ Art and Architecture tours (“Royalty and Splendour” and “Contemporary Portraiture”). Established paid-for tours (on Saturdays, non-sitting Fridays, and during recesses) are conducted by Blue Badge guides under a contract secured by public tender.
	Blue Badge guides are trained to Institute of Tourist Guiding level 4 (covering, traditionally, a Tourist Board area). In-house guides are trained to Institute of Tourist Guiding level 2 (site specific visitor attraction).
	The use of the two groups of guides for these different purposes is designed to best meet the requirements of different types of visitor in a cost-effective way.

Parliamentary Tours

Nigel Evans: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, representing the House of Commons Commission, how much (a) Blue Badge guides and (b) Palace of Westminster guides are paid per tour of the Palace.

John Thurso: The professionally qualified Blue Badge guides are paid per day or half day, rather than per tour, on the basis of nationally agreed rates. Their current fees are £230.00 per day for English Language tours and £265.00 for foreign language tours. During a day a guide will conduct four tours, so are paid the equivalent of £57.50 or £66.25 per tour.
	For Member-sponsored tours when Parliament is sitting, the current policy is that guides are drawn primarily from serving or retired House staff. Palace of Westminster ‘in-house’ guides are booked and paid on a ‘per tour’ basis. These guides are currently paid £33.15 for tours during '’working hours’ (up until 5 pm) and £50.00 for tours which take place in the evening, normally as part of another Member-sponsored event.
	The difference in pay reflects the higher level and formal nature of the training and qualification of Blue Badge guides. The higher level of training includes more experience of the mechanics of guiding and detailed knowledge of London as a whole (which fits in with the requirements of paid-for tours visitors), as well as an independent parliamentary qualification.

Staff

Chris Ruane: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, representing the House of Commons Commission, pursuant to the answer of 23 January 2014, Official Report, columns 287-8W, on House of Commons staff, what the (a) level of job satisfaction, (b) proportion of people proud to work for the House Service, (c) average days lost to sickness per employee and (d) turnover rate was for each staff survey conducted in the last 10 years.

John Thurso: The following table outlines the available data. These have been gathered through staff surveys and as part of the work force information that is considered regularly by the Management Board. Figures for earlier years are not available.
	
		
			 Percentage 
			  (a) Level of job satisfaction (b) Proud to work for the House Service (c) Average days lost to sickness per employee (d) Turnover 
			 2005-06 n/a 89 n/a n/a 
			 2006-07 n/a 87 7.8 n/a 
			 2007-08 62 88 7.2 8.3 
			 2008-09 65 79 7.8 7.7 
			 2009-10 63 82 7.1 9.5 
			 2010-11 62 81 7.1 9.0 
			 2011-12 63 86 6.6 11.0 
			 2012-13 58 88 6.7 10.7 
			 Notes: 1. (a)This question only appeared in staff surveys from 2008. 2. (b) Due to changes in reporting conventions in 2009 and 2012 data are not strictly comparable over time, although this will not affect general trends.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Adult Education

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what his strategy is for devolving skills funding in Wales and Scotland; and if he will make a statement.

Matthew Hancock: Skills funding is devolved to Wales and Scotland under the Barnett formula.

Apprentices

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what his most recent estimate is of the number of apprentices progressing to level 5 qualifications.

Matthew Hancock: Final data for the 2012/13 academic year show that there were 13,000 funded Apprentices participating on a Higher Apprenticeship (Level 4+) in the 2012/13 academic year. Of these 6,000 were at Level 5.

Apprentices: Shipping

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what his policy is on access to public funding for the Maritime Skills Alliance in designing apprenticeships in partnership with the maritime industry.

Matthew Hancock: BIS officials are in discussion with a range of employers and other organisations who have expressed an interest in becoming a trailblazer to develop new apprenticeship standards for occupations in their industries. One of those organisations is the Maritime Skills Alliance but no decision has been made yet on whether the alliance’s proposals are suitable for development through a trailblazer project.
	Employers in all sectors can apply for access to skills funding to develop and design new skills provision to create the training schemes they need to grow their business through the employer ownership pilot (EOP). Many proposals that have been approved for EOP are linked to apprenticeships and in the 2012/13 academic year, 1,200 apprenticeship starts were created through the EOP.

Apprentices: Shipping

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions Ministers in his Department have had with representatives of the Scottish Government on maritime apprenticeships; and if he will ensure that further such discussions take place in the near future.

Matthew Hancock: Apprenticeships policy is a devolved matter and it is for the devolved Administrations of Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales to determine how they manage their own schemes. Scotland has traditionally had a separate apprenticeship programme. I discuss apprenticeships with my Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish counterparts from time to time.

Business: Loans

Natascha Engel: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he has taken to implement the recommendations of the Tomlinson Report into Banks' lending practices.

Matthew Hancock: Mr Tomlinson's report makes serious allegations about RBS's treatment of businesses in financial difficulties and calls for a thorough and independent investigation. On receipt, the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, the right hon. Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), referred the report to the financial services regulators. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has subsequently announced the appointment of Promontory Financial Group and Mazars to carry out an independent skilled persons review of the allegations against RBS using powers in section 166 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000. The first stage of the review will include consideration of whether any poor practices identified are widespread and systematic. If this is the case, stage two will identify the root cause of these issues and make recommendations to address any shortcomings identified. Separately, the FCA has written open letters to the other banks seeking confirmation that they are satisfied they do not engage in any of the poor practices alleged in the report.

Insolvency: Licensing

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what representations he has received (a) in favour and (b) against the provisions in the draft Deregulation Bill on the licensing of insolvency practitioners.

Jennifer Willott: Representations have been received from a range of interested parties relating to the licensing of insolvency practitioners.
	Widespread support was received in respect of the measure to remove the power for a competent authority to authorise an insolvency practitioner. As no competent authority has been designated, the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, my right hon. Friend the Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), is the de facto competent authority and will no longer directly authorise insolvency practitioners.
	In respect of the measure to allow specialised authorisation of insolvency practitioners, there was general support when the measure was discussed with interested parties, including two of the larger recognised professional bodies (which authorise insolvency practitioners), insolvency practitioners from a range of firms, and creditors. During pre-legislative scrutiny, concerns were raised about how the measure would apply to Scottish partnership insolvency which we addressed by amending the clause before introduction. Concerns about the principle of allowing specialisation were also raised by a body representing insolvency practitioners and two recognised professional bodies. There has also been support for the principle of specialised authorisation, including from one of the larger professional bodies.

Insolvency: Licensing

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the effect of partial licensing of insolvency practitioners on small businesses seeking financial advice.

Jennifer Willott: The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, my right hon. Friend the Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), has not conducted a specific assessment of the effect of specialised authorisation for insolvency practitioners on small businesses seeking financial advice. Views were invited on the proposal from interested parties, including business bodies and creditor representatives.

Olympic Games: Russia

Lee Scott: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department is taking to promote UK business at the Winter Olympic Games in Sochi.

Michael Fallon: Over 60 UK companies have secured contracts relating to the Sochi Olympic Winter Games, many of which have received support from UK Trade & Investment (UKTI).
	During Games time in Sochi, UKTI will host a business networking event and a programme of meetings and briefings to expose UK companies to future sporting events organising and bid committees and other stakeholders. This activity will allow UK companies to directly engage with senior individuals overseeing the procurement of products and services for large budget major sports events.
	Efforts on Sochi form part of UKTI's ongoing Olympic Legacy Strategy maximising the opportunity of major events to promote UK capability and attract investment. The programme has delivered £11.06 billion benefit to the UK economy to date.

Postal Services

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the potential effect on the sustainability of the universal postal service of the extension of end-to- end delivery services by providers other than the universal postal service provider;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the potential effect on the universal postal service of operators other than the universal postal service provider extending end-to-end services in (a) Manchester, (b) Liverpool, (c) Edinburgh, (d) Glasgow and (e) Birmingham;
	(3)  if he will request Ofcom to expedite its review of the effect of end-to-end competition in the postal services market in order to ensure that the universal service obligation is protected.

Jennifer Willott: Under the Postal Services Act 2011, Parliament transferred regulatory responsibility for the postal services sector from Postcomm to Ofcom as an independent regulator and gave Ofcom the primary duty to secure the provision of the universal postal service in the United Kingdom.
	It is Ofcom's responsibility to monitor any effects of market competition on the provision of the universal service in the UK. Parliament has given Ofcom the powers to monitor market developments and to intervene if the provision of the universal service is ever at serious risk from the effects of postal competition.
	Ofcom has put in place an effective and ongoing monitoring regime to track the financial sustainability of the universal postal service.
	In March 2013, following a consultation, Ofcom published guidance on its approach to assessing impacts of end-to-end competition in the postal sector. In its November 2013 annual monitoring report Ofcom considered:
	"it is not necessary to impose any additional regulatory conditions on end-to-end operators to secure the ongoing provision of a universal postal service at this point in time".
	If Ofcom's ongoing monitoring regime does not prompt the need for any earlier assessment, it will carry out a full review of the impact of market competition towards the end of 2015 as a matter of course. This will ensure that the regulator has made a detailed assessment of the actual and potential impact of emerging end-to-end competition based on a better understanding of how the postal market is developing. More information about Ofcom's regulatory regime can be found on its website:
	www.ofcom.org.uk

Sector Skills Councils

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much (a) public and (b) private funding is provided to each sector skills council in the UK.

Matthew Hancock: The total public funding provided to sector skills councils in the UK from the UK Commission for Employment and Skills for 2012-13 was £45,361,882 and the projected funding for 2013-14 is £38,571,309.
	In addition to their public funding, sector skills councils undertake a range of commercial business activities funded by employers in the sectors they represent. Details of their commercial income will be shown in their annual accounts.

Sector Skills Councils: Shipping

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills which sector skills council is responsible for the maritime industry.

Matthew Hancock: The marine sector is not covered by any of the sector skills councils.

Space Technology

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what progress has been made on publication of a National Space Policy; and if he will make a statement.

David Willetts: A National Space Policy will be developed during 2014, which together with the UK Civil Space Strategy, which was published in 2012 and the National Space Security Policy, will set out UK Government space policy.

Space Technology

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the progress made by the space sector against the Government’s Space Innovation Growth Strategy; and if he will make a statement.

David Willetts: The Space Innovation and Growth Strategy of 2010 was developed by industry and has helped drive the Government’s space policy since 2011 which has seen the establishment of the UK Space Agency, fresh investment in the European Space Agency and national projects such as the Satellite Applications Catapult Centre to promote growth in space services. Successes include export orders to Brazil, Russia and Canada and the establishment of a strong ESA presence in the UK at Harwell-Oxford. An update of the 2010 strategy, titled the Space Growth Action Plan was published by industry in November 2013. I welcome its ambition to grow the British space sector from £9 billion now to £40 billion by 2030. The UK Space Agency is co-ordinating a Government response to those actions that requested Government support. I will publish this response after it has been agreed across Government.
	In addition, a BIS/Cabinet Office “Challenger Business” programme is under way which responds to the needs of groundbreaking UK businesses offering new technologies, innovative products and vigorous business models. Businesses in space and satellite applications contributed to this programme during an event that I chaired on 22 November 2013.

Space Technology

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment his Department has made of the potential contribution of space and satellite industries to UK defence and security.

David Willetts: The UK is an innovator in delivering defence and security services from space. The UK space and satellite industry already makes a significant contribution to UK defence and security through the provision of secure satellite communications via Paradigm Secure Communications (now part of the Airbus Defence and Space Division of the Airbus Group).
	The Government continues to assess whether and how UK industry could contribute more. The context in which this is considered will be set out in the forthcoming National Space Security Policy.

Student Opportunity Fund

Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions he has had on proposals to reduce funding for the Student Opportunity Fund.

David Willetts: We are currently working determining allocations for all of our budgets for the next two years and will set out our plans in the usual way.

Technology: Training

Lee Scott: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what training initiatives his Department has launched to increase the skills needed by young people in new high technology enterprises.

Matthew Hancock: The Information Economy Strategy, published in June 2013, showed employers from all sectors face difficulties finding people with the right IT skills. The Information Economy sector council has set up an industry-led working group to agree concrete actions by the spring to address gaps in digital skills.
	The Government has already taken steps to address this issue. To ensure young people have a strong grounding in computational thinking and programming skills we are introducing a new computing curriculum into schools in September which is more rigorous than existing ICT learning. We have also recently announced £40 million funding over 2014-15 and 2015-16 for 20,000 more Higher Apprenticeships, more than doubling current volumes. This includes the IT Higher Apprenticeship, developed as an alternative route into the sector for young people with A-Levels or equivalent qualifications.

UK Trade and Investment: West Midlands

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many staff in UKTI West Midlands have been tasked with supporting inward investment into the region in each of the last five years.

Michael Fallon: Figures for the regional development agency responsible for the west midlands in 2009 and 2010 are not available. From 2011 UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) has supported delivery of inward investment to the UK, by working with local investment bodies, such as local enterprise partnerships.
	UKTI and its partners work with a very wide range of foreign-based companies, investors, sovereign wealth funds and governments to attract inward investment into the UK. At any one time, UKTI and its partners may be engaged with several tens of thousands of organisations, a number of which will have regard to potential investment in the west midlands. The key conversations take place before investors make contact with the west midlands, rather than when they have decided on a location.
	With respect to the west midlands, UKTI has a west midlands office, where the regional director, representing both trade and investment, for the west midlands is based. The focus of the team is international trade. Working with them is an Investment Services Team (IST) partnership manager for the LEPs that broadly correspond to the west midlands, who undertakes liaison and support work with LEPs and other local investment bodies.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Children: Maintenance

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to his answer of 23 January 2014, Official Report, column 263W, on children’s maintenance, which particular Project Change Lifecycle Framework criteria will govern his Department’s assessment of its operational readiness to start the process of Child Support Agency case closure.

Steve Webb: The standard criteria by which all DWP Change is assessed prior to go-live with a change are very detailed. The project provides a wealth of evidence to stakeholders to meet the criteria confirming that:
	The business has the necessary resources and that it is ready to implement the services and the business change;
	There are management and organisation controls to manage the project through implementation and operation;
	All parties have agreed plans for training, communication, roll-out, production, release and support;
	All contractual arrangements are up-to-date;
	The business case has been quality assured;
	Benefits will be realised;
	All necessary testing is completed (including business integration and user assurance testing) to the business’s satisfaction and that the business is ready to receive implementation;
	There are feasible and tested contingency and reversion arrangements, and longer term business continuity and recovery plans are in place;
	All remaining risks and issues are being managed effectively and do not threaten implementation and evaluate the risk of proceeding with the implementation of the business change if there are any unresolved issues;
	Lessons and best practice from assurance reviews and earlier projects have been considered and actioned; and any new lessons captured;
	Agree funding draw downs and deliverables to either key milestones or the next gate.

Departmental Responsibilities

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what discussions his Department has held with officials from HM Treasury in the last four months.

Esther McVey: Officials in the Department for Work and Pensions and HM Treasury have met regularly over the last four months to discuss a broad range of issues and will continue to do so.

Employment and Support Allowance: Warrington

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Warrington North constituency have (a) been placed in the work-related activity group for employment and support allowance, (b) appealed against a decision to place them in that group and (c) died before their appeal was against a decision to place them in that group was heard or in the last 12 months thereafter in each of the last three years.

Michael Penning: The information requested for part (a) is shown in the following table.
	
		
			 Employment and support allowance recipients in the work related activity group, Warrington North constituency: May 2013 
			  Total 
			 Warrington North constituency 840 
			 Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Incapacity benefit was replaced by employment support allowance (ESA) on the grounds of incapacity from October 2008. 3. Phase of ESA claim is only available from February 2010 onwards. The phase is derived from payment details held on the source system. Where the claimant is not in receipt of any benefit payment then the stage of benefit is shown as unknown. 4. This information is published at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/dwp-statistics-tabulation-tool 
		
	
	The information requested for parts (b) and (c) is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Financial Services

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department have met (i) Prudential, (ii) Fidelity Investments, (iii) the Association of British Insurers and (iv) the Investment Management Association in the last four months; and for what purpose.

Steve Webb: The information is as follows:
	(a) Details of meetings with external organisations held by DWP Ministers are published quarterly, three months in arrears, on GOV.UK as part of this Government's transparency drive. Information relating to October to December 2013 is due to be published in April 2014.
	(b) Department for Work and Pensions officials have not met Fidelity Investments in the last four months. In the last four months officials have met representatives from Prudential five times, representatives from the Association of British Insurers six times, and representatives from the Investment Management Association three times.
	Additionally, in the last four months officials have met with representatives from the NAPF, the CBI, Which?, AgeUK and the TUC around 20 times.
	Discussions have covered general strategic issues on likely future trends; developments affecting the pensions and insurance markets (including implementation of the ABI Code of Conduct on retirement choices); defined contribution quality; proposals outlined in the consultation on charging; automatic transfers; decumulation; and defined ambition pensions.
	The above list is not exhaustive, as officials also have ongoing contact with stakeholders through working groups, roundtables, open workshops, and other collective forums.

Jobcentre Plus

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what evaluation his Department has undertaken of Jobcentre Plus support contracts; and if he will make a statement.

Esther McVey: Jobcentre Plus Support Contract is funded using money from the Flexible Support Fund (FSF) therefore it has not been evaluated separately. The FSF is evaluated as part of the Jobcentre Plus offer.

Jobseeker’s Allowance

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether jobseekers whose benefit has been sanctioned but who otherwise meet the conditions for entitlement to jobseeker’s allowance are included in the claimant count; and if he will make a statement.

Esther McVey: Yes, jobseekers who otherwise meet the conditions for entitlement to jobseeker's allowance are included in the claimant count.

Occupational Pensions

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he expects the Office of Fair Trading to complete its review of legacy pension schemes; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Webb: As part of their report into the defined contribution workplace pensions market, the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) agreed with the Association of British Insurers that an audit should take place of pre-2001 and high-charging pension schemes. The OFT report stated that this audit should be complete by the end of December 2014. We welcome this audit and look forward to its launch in due course.

Occupational Pensions

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent discussion he has had with the Office of Fair Trading on the review of legacy pension schemes; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Webb: We welcome the audit of pre-2001 and high-charging pension schemes agreed by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) and the Association of British Insurers (ABI). I have met with the OFT twice with regard to this topic, and have also met with the proposed chair for the audit. DWP officials have also been part of the discussions between the OFT and ABI. We look forward to the launch of the audit in due course.

Occupational Pensions

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the written statement of 23 January 2014, on pensions, whether he will introduce a pensions charge cap inclusive of transaction costs; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Webb: The consultation on charging closed on November 28 last year, and received 166 written responses. This is an important and complex consultation that requires our proper consideration to ensure we get it right. The decision on whether to introduce a cap, and the design of any such cap, will be included in our response to the consultation, to be published in due course.

Occupational Pensions

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent assessment his Department has made of the number of pension pots in pension schemes with an annual management charge in excess of 1 per cent; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Webb: The 2012 DWP pensions landscape and charging survey looked at schemes where members paid charges as a percentage of funds under management. This report found that within this group 6% of trust-based schemes and 10% of contract-based schemes had an annual management charge in excess of 1%.

Occupational Pensions

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will publish a code of conduct on the disclosure of pension charges to employers; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Webb: The consultation on charging closed on November 28 last year, and received 166 written responses. This is an important and complex consultation that requires our proper consideration to ensure we get it right. The consultation included options to improve disclosure for employers and we will bring forward further disclosure proposals in our response, to be published in due course.

Occupational Pensions

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of the consultation announced by his Department on pension charge cap published on 30 October 2013; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Webb: This information is not held centrally by the Department and could be supplied only at disproportionate cost.

Occupational Pensions

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the written statement of 23 January 2014, on Pensions, whether the delay announced to the introduction of a charge cap on workplace pension scheme also extends to his Department's planned changes regarding the governance of pension schemes; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Webb: As well as considering responses to the consultation on charging, the Department is considering responses to the call for evidence on quality standards in defined contribution (DC) pension schemes and recommendations set out in the Office of Fair Trading’s market study into workplace DC pensions.
	As recognised by the Office of Fair Trading, good governance is a key feature of scheme quality. We will publish proposals covering both governance and charges in due course.

Occupational Pensions

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the written statement of 23 January 2014, on Pensions, when he expects to bring forward proposals for a pensions charge cap before Parliament; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Webb: The consultation on charging closed on 28 November last year, and received 166 written responses. This is an important and complex consultation that requires our proper consideration to ensure we get it right, and our proposals will be published in due course. We remain committed to making sure pension savers get good value for money.

Occupational Pensions

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the written statement of 23 January 2014, on Pensions, if he will publish the responses to the Government consultation on charging in workplace pensions.

Steve Webb: We will publish the names of all those who responded to our consultation and will include extract from these where appropriate in our response to the consultation. We are considering whether there is sufficient public interest to publish the responses to the consultation, particularly given the high volume of response.

Occupational Pensions

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make it his policy to introduce a pension scheme for those beginning employment for the first time which would commence at a nominal monthly sum, increase automatically each year on a compound basis but have an opt out basis.

Steve Webb: The introduction of automatic enrolment has been very successful. Since October 2012 over 2.55 million workers have been automatically enrolled into a workplace pension by more than 5,400 employers and so far, more than 90% have remained in their scheme.
	The minimum contribution levels for all defined contribution arrangements used for automatic enrolment will be phased in to help both employers and individuals adjust gradually to the additional costs of the reforms. The following table shows the arrangements for phased contributions between October 2012 and October 2018.
	
		
			 Minimum contributions (as percentage of a band of earnings1) 
			 Percentage 
			  Worker Employer Tax relief2 Total 
			 October 2012 to September 2017 0.8 1 0.2 2 
			 October 2016 to September 2018 2.4 2 0.6 5 
			 October 2018 4 3 1 8 
			 1 Between £5,668 and £41,450 for 2013-14. 2 Basic rate of income tax. 
		
	
	Making changes during the implementation process would be difficult to manage and risk upsetting the rollout programme. Our first priority is to encourage people to participate and that is what the automatic enrolment is designed to achieve.

Occupational Pensions

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the Written Statement of 23 January 2014, what advance notice he will give pension providers of changes to auto enrolment provisions; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Webb: The consultation on charging closed on 28 November last year, and received 166 written responses. This is an important and complex consultation that requires our proper consideration to ensure we get it right. We will publish proposals in due course.

Olympic Airways

Kwasi Kwarteng: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to ensure that members of the Olympic Airlines pension scheme are able to access the Pension Protection Fund.

Steve Webb: The Government is actively exploring whether it can make amendments to the Pension Protection Fund legislation on employer insolvency to enable members of the UK Olympic Airlines pension scheme to benefit from the Pension Protection Fund.

Pension Credit

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what recent assessment he has made of the take up of pensions credit among those who are eligible;
	(2)  what steps he plans to take to increase the take up of pensions credit among those who are eligible.

Steve Webb: The Government are committed to ensuring pensioners receive the benefits they are entitled to. The Income Related Benefits: Estimates of Take-up report provides caseload and expenditure estimates of take-up for pension credit in Great Britain for the financial year 2009-10. The figures are available online and can be found here:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php?page=irb
	DWP's National Partnerships Team works with over 4,400 customer representative organisations, both nationally and locally, to provide a wide range of advice and support for pensioners.
	DWP has also introduced a web-based pension credit toolkit at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pension-credit-toolkit
	Its purpose is to provide customer representative organisations with all the information needed in order to talk to pensioners about pension credit. In partnership with Age UK, local authorities and other groups, a structured campaign was undertaken to create awareness of the Toolkit among those who support our customers.
	In addition DWP makes information available in various locations for example, our website at:
	https://www.gov.uk/browse/benefits
	and leaflets are available from our DWP Information Line on 0845 7313233 to ensure that people are aware of the benefits to which they may be entitled and how to claim them.
	When a customer makes a claim to state pension or reports a change in their circumstances, a customer adviser also discusses a pension credit application with those who may be entitled. There is also a visiting service available to support vulnerable customers who are unable to access services through other channels. Pensioners can, where eligible, claim housing benefit alongside pension credit in a single phone call, without the need for a signed claim form. Calls to the 0800 claims number from a BT landline or from the six largest mobile phone networks are free.

Personal Independence Payment

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the average waiting time for claimants of the personal independence payment who require a home consultation in each (a) country, (b) region and (c) parliamentary constituency of the UK;
	(2)  how many claimants of personal independence payment who require a home consultation have waited longer than (a) one month, (b) two months, (c) three months, (d) four months, (e) five months and (f) six months or more for such a consultation to date.

Michael Penning: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Dudley North (Ian Austin), on 21 January 2014, Official Report, column 164W.

Procurement

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which of his Department's contracts are covered by the EU's de minimis funding rules.

Michael Penning: All DWP contracts are competed for within the market place or awarded directly by applying one of the exceptions included in the Public Contract Regulations 2006. None of the Department's contracts are therefore covered by the European Union's de minimis funding rules.

Re-employment

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many staff who have been made redundant or retired from his Department have subsequently been re-employed by his Department since May 2010.

Michael Penning: The latest information shows that since May 2010, nine staff who left the Department were subsequently re-employed by the Department.

Social Security Benefits

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department has spent on advertising (a) tackling benefit fraud and (b) unclaimed benefits on Facebook in the current financial year.

Michael Penning: There has been no spend to date this financial year on Facebook advertising regarding tackling benefit fraud or advertising unclaimed benefits.

Social Security Benefits: Medical Examinations

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) appeals against ATOS assessments and (b) successful appeals in (i) Leeds and (ii) Leeds Central constituency there have been in each of the last three years.

Michael Penning: The information as requested is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	It is important to note that Atos do not make decisions on eligibility for employment and support allowance. Decisions are taken by DWP decision makers, taking account of all the available evidence including the report provided by Atos.

Social Security Benefits: Warrington

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many benefit claimants in Warrington have been sanctioned in the last (a) six and (b) 12 months.

Esther McVey: The available information on how many benefit sanctions were applied to claimants in Warrington local authority in the last (a) six and (b) 12 months is shown as follows.
	
		
			 Jobseeker's allowance (JSA) individuals sanctioned by period, Warrington local authority: 22 October 2012-30 June 2013 
			 Period Total 
			 1 January 2013-30 June 2013 870 
			 22 October 2012-30 June 2013 1,160 
		
	
	
		
			 Employment and support allowance (ESA) individuals sanctioned by period, Warrington local authority: 1 July 2012-30 June 2013 
			 Period Total 
			 1 January 2013-30 June 2013 30 
			 1 July 2012-30 June 2013 50 
		
	
	
		
			 Income support lone parents (ISLP) individuals sanctioned by period, Warrington local authority: 1 July 2012-30 June 2013 
			 Period Total 
			 1 January 2013-30 June 2013 60 
			 1 July 2012-30 June 2013 130 
			 Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. Totals may not sum due to rounding. "-" denotes nil or negligible. 2. The number of benefit sanctions applied is the number of sanction or disallowance referrals where the decision was found against the claimant. 3. Figures show the year in which the decision to apply a sanction was made. JSA figures for 2012 do not include sanctions applied between 1 July and 21 October, inclusive, which are not currently available by local authority. Data up to 30 June 2013 is the latest data available. 4. New regulations introduced a new revised sanctions regime for JSA from 22 October and ESA claimants from 3 December 2012. 5. Income support lone parents receive a fixed sanction of 20% of the personal allowance rate of a single claimant (not aged less than 25) for each failure to attend/participate in a work focused interview until 10p is left in payment. This sanction lasts until the individual attends and participates in a work focused interview. In the case where there is more than one sanction in place the claimant need only attend/participate in one work focused interview in order for all related sanctions to be removed from their benefit. Sources: JSA and ESA: DWP Information, Governance and Security Directorate: Sanctions and Disallowance Decisions Statistics Database. ISLP: DWP Income Support Computer System. 
		
	
	The information requested for JSA sanctions applied between 1 June 2012 and 21 October 2012 is not readily available by local authority and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Universal Credit

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many claimants in the universal credit pilot areas have (a) been mandated out of the universal credit scheme or (b) found employment since the introduction of universal credit.

Esther McVey: In line with the published departmental strategy on the release of official statistics, we issued the statistics for the pathfinder areas, for the period April 2013 to 31 October 2013, on 22 January 2014.
	As IT systems are further developed and data from them become available, a wider range of breakdowns for universal credit claimants will be developed and published. These will be developed in line with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics and details included in the Universal Credit Statistical Release Strategy
	https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/universal-credit-statistics

Work Programme

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will place in the Library a breakdown by principal impairment of the number of people in receipt of employment and support allowance who have so far been referred to the Work Programme; and how many in each category have so far secured a job outcome.

Esther McVey: Information on Work programme (referrals and Job Outcomes) by primary health condition can be found at:
	http://tabulation-tool.dwp.gov.uk/WorkProg/tabtool.html
	Guidance for users is available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dwp-tabulation-tool-guidance

Work Programme

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many recipients of (a) incapacity benefit, (b) employment and support allowance placed in the support group and (c) income support have volunteered for the Work Programme in each month since June 2011.

Esther McVey: Statistics on the number of Work programme referrals, by payment type, in each month since June 2011 can be found at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/dwp-statistics-tabulation-tool
	Guidance for users is available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dwp-tabulation-tool-guidance

CABINET OFFICE

Civil Servants: Pay

Michael McCann: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what effect changes in pensions contributions have had on the take-home pay of civil servants compared with May 2010.

Nick Hurd: Lord Hutton outlined in his report the strong case for changing public sector pensions, saying in his report
	“these costs have generally fallen to the taxpayer.”
	The Commission reached the conclusion that,
	“If the Government wishes to make savings in the short-term it will be more effective to increase member contributions rather than alter the benefit structure”.
	Contributions were increased in April 2012, April 2013 and will be increased again in April 2014. The increases were tiered by salary, so that higher earners pay a larger percentage point increase than lower earners. A number of protections were introduced alongside the contribution increases, including:
	Those earning less than £15,000 (full-time equivalent rate) will pay nothing extra;
	Those earning up to £21,000 (full-time equivalent) will pay no more than 0.6% of pay extra in 2012-13 (and no more than 1.5% of pay extra in total by 2014-15).
	Information about the pay of AAs, AOs and EOs can be found in the annual civil service earnings survey. The distribution of salaries for employees of these grades is available at:
	http://www.nomisweb.co.uk/query/129.1/advanced.aspx
	This Cabinet Office answer—to UIN 185222—provides information about how the take-home pay of those with different levels of salaries is affected by the pension contribution increases.

Ministerial Policy Advisers

Mark Hendrick: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many special advisers are currently employed by the Government; and at what cost to the public purse such advisers are employed.

Francis Maude: I refer the hon. Member to the published list of special advisers and cost which was published on 25 October 2013 at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/special-adviser-data-releases-numbers-and-costs-october-2013

Procurement

Chris Evans: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what proportion of his Department's overall procurement spend for each of the last three financial years was spent (a) in joint procurement exercises with other Departments and (b) shared between different organisations within the same Department group.

Francis Maude: Information regarding procurement expenditure is published in Departments' and their arm's length bodies annual report and accounts and are available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications
	As part of my Department's transparency programme, details of all new contracts over the value of £10,000 (excluding VAT) and payments of over £25,000 (excluding VAT) are published on Contracts Finder
	https://www.gov.uk/contracts-finder

Procurement

Chris Evans: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office for each of the last three financial years how much and what proportion of his Department's procurement was conducted using e-procurement tools; and what the value of such contracts was.

Francis Maude: Under the principles of LEAN Sourcing, all central Government procurements are required to use OJEU compliant e-sourcing tools to help manage the full process.

Re-employment

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many staff who have been made redundant or retired from his Department have subsequently been re-employed by his Department since May 2010.

Francis Maude: This Government reformed the Compensation Scheme in 2010 to reduce costs and to require the recovery of compensation payments where staff are dismissed and re-employed. In 2012-13 the Exchequer saved £2.2 billion from reducing the size of the civil service. Under the reformed scheme if staff are made redundant and subsequently reemployed they may have to repay part of their compensation. Since May 2010, five or fewer staff, who were made redundant or retired from the Cabinet Office, were subsequently re-employed by the Department.
	In line with the practice of previous Administrations exact numbers are not usually disclosed to protect individual privacy when numbers are five or fewer.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Carbon Sequestration

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many members of staff have been employed by his Department to work full-time on carbon capture and storage in each month since June 2010.

Michael Fallon: The number of staff employed by the Department of Energy and Climate Change to work full-time on carbon capture and storage from June 2010 to January 2014 are set out in the table on an annual basis:
	
		
			  Number 
			 By end March 2011 31 
			 By end March 2012 31 
			 By end March 2013 36 
			 By January 2014 36 
		
	
	Within the time available to respond to this named day PQ it has not been possible to produce a monthly breakdown, however I will forward this to the hon. Member once available.
	These figures are for civil servants only and do not include contractors and interim staff.

Eggborough Power Station

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the potential effects on the (a) local and (b) national economy of Eggborough power plant not converting to a biomass energy plant.

Michael Fallon: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 28 January 2014, Official Report, column 517W, to the hon. Members for Bassetlaw (John Mann) and Sunderland Central (Julie Elliott).

Electricity Generation

Dan Byles: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the number of MWHr of electricity that will be generated by the Short Term Operating Reserve in each of the next five years.

Michael Fallon: The Short Term Operating Reserve (STOR) is an electricity reserve product procured by National Grid that acts as an insurance policy from sources of generation or demand reduction to manage wider system issues. Neither Government nor National Grid can predict how much STOR will be utilised in any given year as the need to despatch the product is an indication of complex background market challenges with demand and generation.

Electricity Generation

Dan Byles: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many MWHr of electricity was generated by the Short Term Operating Reserve in each of the last five years.

Michael Fallon: The following data from National Grid shows how many GWHr of electricity was utilised by the Short Term Operating Reserve (STOR) over the last five full STOR years (April-March):
	
		
			  GWHr of electricity utilised 
			 2008-09 187.3 
			 2009-10 104.7 
			 2010-11 100.1 
			 2011-12 173.3 
			 2012-13 167.2

Energy Supply: Fees and Charges

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when he expects the final decision to be made on approval and implementation of Ofgem's reforms to Project TransmiT.

Michael Fallon: The timeline for approval and implementation of changes to the transmission charging regime as a result of Project TransmiT is a matter for Ofgem. In its update of 16 December 2013, Ofgem said that it is working towards making a decision in March 2014 with implementation of changes if approved in April 2015.

Energy Supply: Fees and Charges

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the effect of the year's delay in the implementation of Ofgem's reforms to the transmission charging regime, Project TransmiT, announced by Ofgem on 16 December 2013.

Michael Fallon: The timeline for approval and implementation of changes to the transmission charging regime as a result of Project TransmiT is a matter for Ofgem.
	Ofgem has considered the most appropriate implementation date for reforms to the transmission charging regime in the light of responses to its August 2013 consultation on its "preferred approach" and impact assessment. Details, including the effect of a later implementation date, can be found here:
	https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/publications-and-updates/project-transmit-update-progress-and-next-steps

Energy: Competition

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment his Department has made of the effect of ring fencing between energy supply and generation businesses.

Michael Fallon: Ofgem, the Office for Fair Trading and the Competition and Markets Authority are currently undertaking the first annual competition assessment for the gas and electricity markets. Their report will be published in March 2014 and as part of the assessment the authorities will be looking at the impact of vertical integration on competition. The regulators will set out the next steps, which may include recommendations to Government.

Energy: Prices

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the total value of payments made by customers to British Gas through domestic energy bills as a result of the introduction of the Energy Company Obligation at 31 December 2013.

Gregory Barker: The Government impact assessment for the current phase of ECO, published in June 2012, estimated the costs of the obligation at around £1.3 million per annum on average, equating to around £50 per household per year on average. Companies will differ in how efficiently they discharge the obligation, and Government has published information on an anonymised basis, showing that some companies have had higher costs than others in respect of different elements of the scheme. However the companies concerned have not agreed to the publication of this information on a named basis; nor does the Government have access to detailed information on the extent to which pass-through costs charged to consumers reflect the actual costs of delivery. I am therefore unable to answer the question specifically in relation to British Gas.

Energy: Weather

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he is taking ahead of the anticipated cold weather.

Michael Fallon: Preparing for cold weather forms part of the normal cycle of activities which the energy supply industry undertakes each year. Each gas and electricity supplier undertakes a number of actions in anticipation of cold weather as part of annual preparations for winter. These include, for example:
	Ensuring asset health and availability; checks that key maintenance and construction has been completed are undertaken and that outstanding key defects are monitored and resolved.
	Strategic Spares: Stocks are reviewed and mobile plant such as generators and compressors are maintained. Diesel stocks are reviewed.
	Contingency Plans and Resourcing: Plans are reviewed and updated as are resource deployment/work pattern options.
	Staff Mobility: Availability of four wheeled drive resources, snow chains etc. are confirmed and located strategically across the networks to ensure adequate geographic cover.
	Electricity margins are tighter for this winter than previous years but that reflects a move from unusually large margins back to levels typical of the last decade. The Government has a range of current and planned policies to ensure that margins do not become unacceptably tight in future years.
	National Grid's 2013 winter outlook likewise concluded that the UK gas market should continue to provide secure supplies. The UK market is strengthened by import infrastructure which has increased five fold over the past decade and which allows us to access diverse supply sources (north sea producers, pipelines from Norway and the rest of Europe, and shipments of liquefied natural gas).
	DECC has coordinated with industry and consumer organisations campaigns to encourage consumers to prepare for winter by buying oil early during the summer months and to join oil buying clubs. Information has been disseminated through the Met Office "Get Ready for Winter" website, and made available to local resilience forums. I wrote to MPs in October to encourage them to support the Buy Oil Early campaign and the new FPS Code of Practice and Customer Charter in their constituencies.
	DECC has monitored the market for heating oil and LPG with weekly reports from trade bodies FPS and UK LPG. The industry has reported that overall heating oil and LPG suppliers have been operating normally, however there have been some delays to supply households in flooded areas. DECC and DCLG have set up a pilot scheme for LRFs and industry to have joint contact arrangements in the event disruptions in fuel supplies to provide advice to suppliers on whether a household or a community is vulnerable to enable fuel suppliers to prioritise deliveries in periods of peak demand.
	DECC has also worked with the Government Winter Resilience Network on messages to local authorities to encourage that road networks to essential services, such as hospitals, nursing homes, refineries, oil terminals and retail filling stations, are accessible for deliveries of fuel.

Fracking

Mark Menzies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will establish a wealth fund for the community benefit funds generated by the shale gas industry.

Michael Fallon: The Government has no plans to establish a wealth fund.
	The industry has bought forward a community benefit offer which the Government has welcomed.
	At exploration stage, the industry will provide £100,000 per hydraulically fractured well site. To ensure these community benefit funds are managed and distributed independently of the operators themselves, the UK Onshore Operators Group will be partnering with UK Community Foundations (UKCF), which works for communities through a UK-wide network of community foundations. UKCF and the appropriate local community foundation will manage a consultation process to engage the local community in defining local priorities and needs, including the appointment of a community panel to decide how the money will be spent once the consultation is complete.
	The industry is also committed to provide 1% of revenue at production stage. The industry will be consulting shortly about how these funds are distributed.

Fracking

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what discussions he has had with the Office of Unconventional Gas and Oil on the creation of a common liabilities fund to cover (a) accidents and (b) remediation of abandoned wells drilled to pump methane gas using the hydraulic fracturing process.

Michael Fallon: The operator is liable for any damage or pollution caused by his operations. As a part of the consenting process under the licences, DECC checks that operators have appropriate insurance against these liabilities.
	When operations finish, the operator is responsible for sealing the well so as to ensure safe retention of all fluids, in accordance with HSE regulations and industry standards. The operator is also responsible for restoring the site to its previous state or a suitable condition for re-use, in accordance with site restoration conditions specified by the relevant planning authority. The operator must also comply with any relevant conditions of Environment Agency permits, and remains liable for any remediation which may prove necessary after the abandonment of the well.
	For the longer term, DECC and the industry are also working to put in place a robust scheme that would cover liabilities even in the event that the relevant operator is no longer in business.

Fracking

Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the studies (a) measurements of methane emissions at natural gas production sites in the US by the university of Texas at Austin and (b) radium and barium removal through blending hydraulic fracturing fluids for acid mine drainage by Duke university; and what steps his Department is taking to prevent risks to public health from fracking.

Michael Fallon: Public Health England (PHE) is currently preparing the final version of its independent report into the public health impacts of shale gas extraction: “Review of the Potential Public Health Impacts of Exposures to Chemical and Radioactive Pollutants as a Result of Shale Gas Extraction”. In doing so, all recently published studies of relevance will be taken into account. However, the interim findings of that report, published in October 2013, confirms that risks to public health from shale gas operations can be effectively managed provided operations are properly run and regulated.
	The UK has a strong regulatory system which provides a comprehensive and fit for purpose regime for exploratory activities, but we want to continuously improve it. The Office for Unconventional Gas and Oil (OUGO) will work closely with the regulators and industry to ensure that the regulation of shale gas development is robust enough to safeguard public safety and protect the environment.

Fracking

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when he intends to publish the post-adoption statement following the closure of the consultation period on the strategic environmental assessment on shale gas.

Michael Fallon: The consultation period closes on 28 March 2014. All responses to the consultation will be carefully considered and a post-adoption statement published as soon as practicable thereafter.

Fracking

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the evidential basis is for the assumption in the strategic environmental assessment on shale gas that production over the lifetime of a well is three billion cubic feet of gas per well.

Michael Fallon: The assumption used for the strategic environmental assessment is based on the central estimate of well productivity adopted by the report on ‘Potential greenhouse gas emissions associated with shale gas extraction and use’ (Mackay and Stone), published by DECC in September 2013. The basis of that estimate is discussed in para. 35 of the report, and drew on data from US basins reported by the United States Geological Survey, together with UK industry views on the likely costs of exploration and production in the UK, compared to the US.

Fracking

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment his Department has made of the benefit to local communities of receiving one per cent of revenue from each shale gas site.

Michael Fallon: We are promoting exploration to determine the potential of shale gas and, at this early stage, no scenario can be definitive. The Department for Energy and Climate Change's Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA), which is for consultation, estimates that community benefits to the value of 1% of revenue from production could amount to a total of £2.4 million to £4.8 million per site under the high activity scenario, assuming each well is productive for 20 years. The industry have based their estimate that potential community benefit per site would be the region of £5 million to £10 million on the Institute of Directors (IoD) report's mid case scenario.
	The two reports also have different assumptions about the size of a pad. The IoD report on a broad economic analysis of relevant factors assumes a pad with up to 40 laterals (horizontal sections)—10 wells with up to four laterals per well. The SEA scenarios, by contrast, have the specific purpose of exploring potential environmental effects and assume up to 24 laterals—24 wells with one lateral per well.

Fracking: Greater Manchester

Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what discussions he has had with the Peel Group about the possibility of pollution from waste water used for fracking being dumped in the Manchester ship canal.

Michael Fallon: No Minister from the Department of Energy and Climate Change has had meetings with the Peel Group concerning discharges into the Manchester ship canal.
	United Utilities hold a permit, issued by the Environment Agency, that allows them to treat industrial effluents at Davyhulme prior to discharge into the Manchester ship canal under the environmental permitting regulations 2010. The majority of the flowback fluid from Preese Hall was removed and treated at United Utilities’ industrial effluent treatment facility (ETF) at their Davyhulme water treatment works in Greater Manchester in 2011.
	Davyhulme takes in and treats a variety of effluents and a large proportion of the domestic and industrial sewage of Manchester on a daily basis. The final treated effluent from the site is required to meet high environmental standards to ensure protection of the receiving water, in this case the Manchester ship canal.

Fracking: USA

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what discussions he has had with his counterpart in the United States Department of Energy on the effect of hydraulic fracturing on gas prices in the United States.

Michael Fallon: DECC Ministers have met ministerial counterparts from the United States Department of Energy on a number of occasions and had wide-ranging discussions including hydraulic fracturing.

Office for Unconventional Gas and Oil

Mark Menzies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what resources his Department has allocated to the Office for Unconventional Oil and Gas; and what the basis was for calculating the resources needed by that office.

Michael Fallon: The Department allocated the Office for Unconventional Oil and Gas £100,000 for its programme budget and £438,000 for its administration budget. These resources were allocated through the Department’s business planning processes.

Procurement

Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what his Department's 10 largest contracts let since financial year 2010-11 are; what savings have been made in such contracts; what the level of overspend or underspend was in each such contract; and what steps his Department has taken to monitor the performance of each such contract following the contract award.

Gregory Barker: The information requested is not held centrally and can be provided only at disproportionate cost. The directorates of the Department of Energy and Climate Change carry out their own purchasing with professional support from a procurement team.
	Contracts of the Department are published on the Cabinet Office Website which can be found at:
	www.contractsfinder.businesslink.gov.uk
	The Department would be able to provide further information by narrowing the scope, if specific procurement projects were identified.
	A contract management review project is currently underway in the Department to improve capability and contract management arrangements.

Radioactive Materials: Transport

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change which information his Department and the Office for Nuclear Regulation records on the transport of fissile and other radioactive material.

Michael Fallon: I refer the hon. Member to the answers I gave her on 3 February 2014, Official Report, columns 131-32W.

Renewable Energy: Heating

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the increase in daily demand for electricity during winter months of shifting (a) 10, (b) 20, (c) 30, (d) 40 and (e) 50 per cent of the non-daily metered component of total UK gas demand to resistive heating.

Michael Fallon: The Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, the right hon. Member for Kingston and Surbiton (Mr Davey), as not made any estimate of the increase in daily demand for electricity during winter months of shifting a percentage of the non-daily metered component of total UK gas demand to resistive heating.

JUSTICE

Aviation: Lasers

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many convictions there were for endangering the safety of an aircraft under Article 137 of the Air Navigation Order 2009 in each of the last 10 years;
	(2)  how many convictions there were for targeting an aircraft in flight with a laser or light under Article 222 of the Air Navigation Order 2009 in each of the last 10 years.

Jeremy Wright: The number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates court and found guilty at all courts for offences relating to endangering the safety of aircraft under Article 137 of the Air Navigation Order 2009, from 2010 to 2012, can be viewed in the table.
	Please note that although 10 years of data have been requested, legislation under the Air Navigation Order 2009 only came into force in 2010. Therefore data has only been provided from 2010 to 2012 (latest available).
	The MOJ Court Proceedings Database holds information on defendants proceeded against, found guilty and sentenced for criminal offences in England and Wales. This database holds information on offences provided by the statutes under which proceedings are brought but not all the specific circumstances of each case. This centrally held information does not allow us to separately identify whether, under Article 222 of the Air Navigation Order 2009, a laser pen was used for the purpose of disrupting an aircraft when in flight. This information is not reported to Justice Statistics Analytical Services in MOJ due to its size and complexity. As such, it could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	Court proceedings data for 2013 are planned for publication in May 2014.
	
		
			 Defendants proceeded against at magistrates court and found guilty at all courts for offences relating to endangering the safety of aircraft1, England and Wales, 2010-122,3 
			 Offence Outcome 2010 2011 2012 
			 Endangering safety of aircraft Proceeded against 22 50 27 
			  Found guilty 19 37 26 
			 1 An offence under AA.137 and 241(8) and Sch.13 Pt.D Air Navigation Order 2009. 2 The figures given in the table relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. 3 Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services-Ministry of Justice.

Prisoners: Suicide

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisoners committed suicide in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and how many of those suicides occurred in safe cells.

Jeremy Wright: All deaths in prison custody are subject to a coroner's inquest and it is for the coroner to determine the cause of death.
	Statistics for self-inflicted deaths are published in the Safety in Custody statistics bulletin, which can be found at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/safety-in-custody-statistics
	Statistics on the number of deaths in prison custody for 2013 are scheduled for release on 24 April 2014. Self-inflicted deaths have been at a similar level for the last five years.
	A safer cell is designed and constructed to be safer than a conventional cell by having fewer obvious ligature points. However, no cell can be considered to be entirely safe and free from ligature points. Safer cells can, however, be used as one of a number of measures to support a prisoner who has been identified as being at-risk of suicide and/or self-harm. Table 1 following shows the number of self-inflicted deaths that are recorded as occurring in a safer cell for the last five years, up to 30 June 2013, the latest period for which statistics are published.
	
		
			 Table 1: Deaths in safer cells 2009 to 30 June 2013 
			  Number of self-inflicted deaths in safer cells 
			 2009 0 
			 2010 1 
			 2011 0 
			 2012 2 
			 20131 2 
			 1Figures for 2013 are up to 30 June 2013 only.

Prisons: Cleaning Services

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many establishments within the prison estate currently have contracts to undertake dry cleaning; and which firms are so contracted.

Jeremy Wright: We are aware of two dry cleaning workshops using prisoner labour operated in prisons—at HMP Risley, in the hon. Member's constituency, and HMP Blantyre House, in Kent. We hold contracts with Timpson's for both. Timpson's wanted to deliver this expansion to offer prisoners work experience; and to offer employment through the gate for those who perform well in the prison operation. They run the workshop with their own employees providing prisoner supervision/training in the prison workshops.

Prisons: Homicide

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  if he will commission a report into the causes of, and possible measures to prevent, murders in prisons;
	(2)  what steps he is taking to address the increase in murders in prison in England.

Jeremy Wright: We are committed to reducing the number of deaths in prisons and strenuous efforts are made to learn from each one. All apparent homicides in prison are subject to a police investigation, an independent investigation by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman and a Coroner's inquest. The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) will carefully consider the findings and recommendations from the investigations and disseminate the learning from them.
	NOMS takes the responsibility of keeping staff, prisoners and visitors safe extremely seriously and are currently rigorously reviewing the management of violence in prisons with a view to introducing further improvements to ensure prisons are safer places for everyone.

Probation

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the annual cost is to the Probation Service in England and Wales of supervising a person on licence for (a) 12, (b) 24 and (c) 36 months.

Jeremy Wright: Probation unit costs are published on an annual basis by the Ministry of Justice at the following page of the gov.uk website:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/prison-and-probation-trusts-performance-statistics-201213

Probation

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what effect the delay in Probation Trust termination orders to 1 June 2014 will have on the tax liabilities of Trusts and Community Rehabilitation companies.

Jeremy Wright: We remain on track to deliver much needed reforms which address the glaring gap in our system that currently sees around 50,000 short- term prisoners released on to the streets each year with no support. The effect of terminating existing contracts with trusts on 31 May 2014 does not alter the existing tax liability.

Probation

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what targets community rehabilitation companies will be set under the Transforming Rehabilitation programme.

Jeremy Wright: We are on track with these essential reforms which will deliver a reduction in reoffending rates by extending statutory rehabilitation to those offenders who serve short sentences, and who currently receive no statutory support despite having the highest reoffending rates. As we announced on 19 December, 30 bidders have been short-listed to progress to the next stage of the competition to deliver rehabilitation services. All of these bidders have experience in working with offenders or in the wider criminal justice system and will be paid according to their success in delivering a reduction in reoffending.
	We have gained valuable experience from existing pilots in establishing performance targets that will allow us to measure with confidence the impact on reoffending rates. This will enable us to draft robust contracts that will drive the right behaviours from providers and generate value for money. We are committed to being transparent about this process and will publish draft contracts for scrutiny.
	The reformed system will be regulated and held to account through a combination of independent inspection, audit and commercial account management by the National Offender Management Service. There will be clear targets that need to be achieved to generate full payment for the contractors both for the Fee for Service and Payment by Results elements of the contracts.

Re-employment

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many staff who have been made redundant or retired from his Department have subsequently been re-employed by his Department since May 2010.

Shailesh Vara: The following tables outline the numbers of staff re-employed after either redundancy or retirement by the Ministry of Justice (MOJ), including MOJ HQ, Her Majesty's Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS), the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) the Legal Aid Agency (LAA) and the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) following either retirement or redundancy between May 2010 and December 2013.
	
		
			 Redundancies re-employed May 2010 to December 2013 
			 Redundant from: Re-employed MOJ Re-employed NOMS Total 
			 MOJ 0 0 0 
			 NOMS 0 0 0 
			 Total 0 0 0 
		
	
	
		
			 Retirements re-employed May 2010 to December 2013 
			 Retired from: Re-employed MOJ Re-employed NOMS Total 
			 MOJ 5 0 5 
			 NOMS 2 7 9 
			 Total 7 7 14

Road Traffic Offences: Cycling

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many pedal cyclists have been prosecuted for road traffic offences in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Jeremy Wright: 871 defendants were proceeded against at magistrates courts for offences connected with pedal cycles in England and Wales in 2012 (the latest figures available). Court proceedings data for 2013 are planned for publication in May 2014.

Young Offenders: Reoffenders

Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps he is taking to reduce reoffending among young offenders.

Jeremy Wright: Reoffending rates among under-18s remain too high, and particularly among those leaving custody. Our Transforming Youth Custody programme will improve the education, and successful resettlement prospects, of those in custody. Youth offending teams deliver a variety of interventions to reduce reoffending, and we recently announced a new system of support and escalation for those YOTs where improvements are required.